


U Got The Look

by Mizzswan



Category: Reign (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, It's a modern au because it's all I ever dooooo, Mary's got a cruuusshh, New storryyy, Pining, Teacher!Francis, The title is after the song by Prince I don't know if you guys wanted to know that or not, frary, thought we could all use a fun one after the last story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 62,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22745467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mizzswan/pseuds/Mizzswan
Summary: Um. So.Mary is going through a divorce, she's definitely got the "Love is dead" mentality, and then she meets her child's teacher aaannnddd let the tension build.I'll write a better summary some other time.
Relationships: François II de France/Mary I of Scotland | Mary Queen of Scots, Kenna/Sebastian "Bash" de Poitiers, Lord Castleroy/Greer (Reign)
Comments: 80
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

She never liked Tuesdays, she found her husband in bed with another woman on a Tuesday, she served him the papers on a Tuesday, and now she's being called to her son's school on a - _ You guessed it _ \- Tuesday.

She had to leave work early, the school called her when they couldn't reach Darnley. And of course, the one time she needs him, the man is busy. So here she is, walking up the parking lot in heels. On ice.  _ In a pencil skirt. _

James got in a fight, a fight. He's _ eight. _ What kind of fight was it? Did little Timmy steal an animal cracker out of her kids' lunch box? 

The principal's office is empty, except for another girl. Her dark hair is tied up in a ponytail, tight curls falling and bouncing around her back. She doesn't say anything when Mary enters she just takes a seat in a leather chair in front of the big brown desk and waits. 

"Lola," a man greets as he walks in, the door shutting behind him, "Mary."

"Where's my son?" The woman, Lola she assumes, is the first to speak.

"The boys are with their teacher." The man hums as he flips open a handbook and thumbs through it and then he's sitting down. 

"Is he alright?" Lola asks.

"They're just kids, I highly doubt there was any real damage," Mary says.

"Your son gave my son a bloody nose." 

"That..." she shakes her head, "That doesn't sound like James."

"I assure you, we got the right child, Ms. Stuart."

"Well he wouldn't do anything unprovoked, what did the other child do?" Mary asks and Lola glares at her.

"Nothing." She snaps, "John is a good kid, he would never-"

"Lola, we are still trying to sort everything out." 

"Stephane." Lola makes a face, a pleading face, "You know John wouldn't-"

"Uuuh-"

"He is a good boy." She tells him.

"Are you implying that my son isn't?" Mary snaps it and now they're looking at each other, "I know my son."

"With all due respect, Mary, I don't see you hurrying to pick him up after school. Have you ever been in this building?"

"Excuse me-"

"As entertaining as this is, please save the catfight for after this matter is settled." Stephane cuts in, it's good he did. Mary was about to choke someone. She settles back in her seat with a sigh, glances at the name tag on the desk. Narcisse. Oh. 

She remembers that James is terrified of him. All of the kids are.

"Now," he sighs, "Both kids have never misbehaved like this before. So I am willing to let them off with a warning. Usually things like this warrant a suspension-"

"They're eight," Lola speaks up.

"Eight and first-time offenders. Which is why, if you had let me finish, I'm going to leave it up to their teacher. They will be out the rest of the day, which is why I called you two here. They're waiting in the classroom for you now." Lola seems satisfied with that answer as she leans back with a smirk that Mary wants to smack off her stupid face.

-/-

They walk in silence down the hall, no avoiding having to walk together. Even though her blood is boiling out of her skin at the moment. Lola doesn't even knock before stepping inside the room.

"What happened?" She's asking as she steps inside.

"Good afternoon to you too." Is the sarcastic remark she is given. "It was just a small scuffle." He says as he gets up from his desk. 

"He drew blood." 

"It's not like the kid got up this morning planning to do it." 

"Blood. Francis. Blood." She shakes her head when he shrugs it off. 

"Children, Lola, children." He says and then he steps out from in front of Lola, the girls back was in Mary's view and.

Well,

They did not make teachers like that when she went to school.  _ Oh, he's pretty _ . Oh, he's  _ really _ pretty. Like take him home to her mom  _ pretty _ . Sunday dinners with the whole family  _ pretty _ , sit on the porch and grow old together  _ pretty _ . He's all blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes and she wants to run her fingers through his curls until she dies. 

"You must be James' mother." He says, "I don't think we've met."

"Uh..." she shakes her head, "No, we haven't." She would remember him. He smiles at her as he extends a hand towards her.

"Francis."

"Mary." She says softly as she closes her fingers around his and his hands are so  _ Soft _ . They're looking at each other now and for some reason, he looks familiar to her, like she's known him before but she can't place him.

_ Soulmate _ , her mind shouts gleefully. Lola's eyes dart between them and she squints.

"Can you guys like...I don't know, fall in love later?" 

She let's go of his hand with a hard step back and he rolls his eyes at the girl before turning to head back to his desk. 

"Where is James?" Mary asks after a clearing of her throat.

"The boys went to the restroom." He tells her and Lola runs her hands over her face.

"You let them go together?!"

"...yeah?"

"After they got in a fight?" Lola folds her arms over her chest as she glares at him. 

"Lola-"

"What if that James kid attacks our son again?" She asks on a harsh snap. 

"Attacks?" Mary snaps back, "Wait-  _ our _ ?"

"One-night stand." Lola supplies with a dismissive wave of her hand before turning back to Francis. "You left two boys who just got in a fight _alone_ together."

"James didn't attack your son, he's  _ eight _ , not a goddamn serial killer." Mary snaps as she turns to Lola.

“Listen, lady, John has never once in his life raised a hand to any other kid as long as he has been in this school."

"And James hasn't either." 

"Then who started it?"

"I don't know, but it wasn't my kid." She snaps again, she's been doing that a lot lately, but this woman is getting on her last nerve. Lola's closer to her now, glaring and Mary is just begging for something to punch after the week she's had. 

"Okay," Francis moves now, "Let's be adults here." 

"Where's your husband?" Lola asks, "He had to be really busy to get you down here."

"What's  _ that  _ supposed to mean?"

"It means." She steps a little bit closer, "Maybe James isn't getting enough attention from mom at home." Mary's hand rises after that but before it can meet flesh, it's caught.

"That. Is. Enough." Francis' voice is stern and firm and it is  _ absolutely _ doing things to her insides but she's too angry, she just twists her wrist out of his grasp and takes a step back. "Lola, apologize."

"No-"

" _ Now _ ." Okay, hi, she never wants to be on the receiving end of  _ that  _ tone. Lola sighs and rubs at her eyes.

"You're right." She sighs, "I'm just angry about the situation. I didn't mean to imply that you're...negligent. I'm sorry." She wants to understand, Lola has had a difficult day too and she’s sure it’s out of character for John to get in trouble like this. She’s finding it hard to be sympathetic though, as her being  _ negligent  _ is the one thing Darnley loves to throw in her face when they’re in the throes of a loud, nasty, fight. 

It's  _ not  _ okay, it hurts, but on the benefit of not being the recipient of Francis' dad voice. She nods.

"It's...I accept your apology." She says softly around a hard swallow. 

"Great." Francis seems to have cooled down but he shakes his head at Lola as he heads back to his desk, "here are folders with the rest of today's assignments inside. They're due tomorrow." He says and he hands Lola a red folder with their sons' name on it and Mary a yellow folder with James' name on it. "Their books are in their backpacks."

_ -/- _

"You wanna tell me what happened?" Mary asks as she watches James pick at his food. He doesn't look at her, he just keeps his eyes cast down. "James? Was that boy picking on you?" 

He shakes his head.

"John is nice." He says softly. 

"Then why were you guys fighting?" He shrugs and she thinks this is all she'll be getting out of him tonight. She sighs heavily, "Okay, go get ready for bed." He jumps down from the kitchen table.

"Brush your teeth!" She shouts after him as he disappears down the hall. 

"Darnley it was just a small fight." She's explaining over the phone, she figured she should probably call him and tell him what's going on. James is in bed and she's tucked herself on the couch, flipping through channels.

"Did you find out what the other kid did?" He asks and he sounds annoyed, angry, a little bit drunk. He’s always drunk so, she isn't surprised at that. 

"I-"

"He had to have been picking on him." That's what she said but James isn't saying anything and she sighs again as she tosses the remote down and kicks off her heels. Her feet hurt and she wonders if the job is really worth it, but then she remembers she has no other way to pay for this house. It pays well enough, even if it will cost her her toes one day. 

"Yeah well. James isn't talking, so." She says softly, maybe he's taking all of this harder than she thought. Since she left Darnley a month ago and moved not long after that. Her mom bought her this house and she's been taking extra shifts at the coffee house with Greer on the weekends to help pay her back.

And then she's an editor at a publishing company an hour away. 

Going through a divorce. Becoming a single mom almost overnight. James is too young to understand any of this and maybe it's taking a toll on him too. She finds she looks more tired than she used to, there are more bags under her eyes than there used to be. Everything she does feels like it takes energy she doesn't have anymore. She isn't even thirty and yet she feels like she’s reaching fifty. 

"I told you it was too soon."

"What was I supposed to do? Stay in an unhappy marriage? Is that the environment you want to raise our child in?" 

"It's not too late to try and salvage this," Darnley tells her and she sighs. She doesn't want to salvage it, she wants it to be over and moving James again would only mean more change. 

"Salvage it." She rolls her eyes, "Be happy for a month until you come stumbling home with some girls lipstick on your neck?"

"Mary-"

"We're supposed to be talking about James." She says dryly. "He's acting out, quiet."

"That's what happens when you leave overnight, Mary. There are too many changes and he's just a boy if you had just stayed this wouldn't be happening." He hangs up after that and she groans as she sets her phone down. It's her fault, it's always her fault. Nevermind the fact that if he hadn't cheated on her, she wouldn't have left.

"Mom?" She didn't hear him come down the stairs but now she turns to the small voice at the end of the hall. She sets her glass down and stands. 

"What are you doing up?" She asks as she walks to him, combing her fingers through his brown curls. He's the spitting image of Mary when she was little. Same brown curls, same dimpled smile, but he has blue eyes. She wonders where he got them from, maybe from somewhere in Darnley's genes. 

"I forgot to do my homework." He confesses softly and she glances at the clock, it's almost eleven-thirty, way too late for him to be up. 

But she remembers that Francis did say no exceptions and she doesn't want him to be in any more trouble. And if she's honest, she forgot about it too. 

"Okay." She nods, "Well let's see how much we have to do." She says softly.

They spend twenty minutes looking for the damn folder with his assignments in it, before she remembers that she left it in her car and then they get halfway through the first one before James is starting to fall asleep at the table. She's half tempted to just do it for him but, that's not a good precedent to set so she just pokes him with the eraser end of a pencil.

"James." She says softly, he opens his eyes, barely but they're open. She sighs heavily before just taking the half-finished paper and sticking it in the folder with the rest of the unfinished assignments. 

She tucks him back into bed a moment later thinking she'll just have to talk to Francis tomorrow morning. 

She tries to tell herself the knots that form in her stomach don't mean anything. 

-/-

They leave earlier than usual that morning and instead of dropping him off at the bus stop like she usually does, she keeps going. His school isn't far but she will be late for work if she isn't careful. 

There aren't many cars in the parking lot, it looks mostly empty and she and James walk hand in hand inside. She's a little worried that he isn't here yet, but the light is on and the door is cracked. 

She knocks lightly before going in and there he is, sitting at his desk with his feet propped up, the morning news playing on his laptop. 

"Uh...hey." She says softly. 

"Oh." He jumps like she startled him, his feet are off his desk and he sits up a second later. His face twists in confusion as James runs in the room. "Class doesn't start for another hour."

"I know." She fidgets, twisting her rings around her finger as she watches James hang his backpack, "Uh..." she sees that John is here too and James sits next to the boy with hair even blonder than Francis' it's almost white and curls slightly. She wonders how she didn't notice it before, the boy looks just like him.

"Do you need something?" Francis asks and she turns her head to look at him again.

"Well, it's my fault." She tells him, "James didn't finish the work you sent home with him and...honestly, I forgot about it too." She says softly, "So, don't be mad at him. I got in a fight with my husband, soon to be ex-husband and I just-" she stops because he really didn't need to know that part but she can't seem to shut up. And she's oversharing. And he's looking at her like he's sad for her, pity. 

"It's alright, Mary." He says, "He can finish it right now actually. John didn't do it either." 

"Oh." She nods, that's surprising, "That's surprising." Stop talking. 

"Why?" He tilts his head at her like he's genuinely curious. 

"Well, you're...you're his teacher and his father..."  _ shutupshutupshutup _ , "so..." 

"Lola has him this week." He tells her with a smirk that succeeds in turning her insides into mush and she looks away quickly.

"I...I should go." She says with a step back when he stands, "before I'm late for work."

"Have a good day."

"You too." She says with a small smile and then she says a quick goodbye to James and leaves.


	2. Chapter 2

"I want to take James to see his grandmother," Darnley tells her as soon as she answers the door. He's rather stern about it, firm like she can't say no. His mother lives out of state, hours away, and she doesn't like Mary; she never has. 

She used to say that James was the only  _ good _ thing Mary ever did. 

She steps aside so he can come in and he looks around at the framed pictures of their son on the walls, old family photos. Maybe even looks disappointed to see that he isn't in them.

"I'm gonna have to say no." She informs him as she picks up the pile of mail on the table by the door, skimming the envelopes and not looking at her soon to be ex-husband. 

"Why?"

"Syphilis." She hums. It was years ago now, Darnley slept with some girl he met at a bar, came home with an STD, slept with Mary and they both got it. He had no choice but to come clean about the multiple affairs he had, but he didn't miss a beat in making sure that Mary knew it was her fault. 

If she had just shown interest in their intimacy he wouldn't have gone in search of others to fill that role.

And of course, Mary took her blame and tried to make it work. Until she caught him in bed with some Kiera girl, who he had been sleeping with for years behind her back. Now here they are.

Darnley scoffs, "When are you going to let that go?" 

"When it no longer bothers me." 

"Mary-"

"I'm not letting you take our son over state lines, hours away." She says as she tosses her mail down and turns to look at him. Darnley has always been handsome, with his brown curls and strong jaw, long lashes and plump lips. 

Franc _ is' blue eyes really ruin other people's eyes, huh? _ She shakes her head to get rid of that thought, but she agrees. 

The brown of Darnley's pale in comparison to Francis' blue.

"Then come with us." He suggests quickly and she squints at him, confused. Until a horrifying realization crashes into her.

"Your mother doesn't know about the divorce, does she?" She asks slowly and arches a brow when he scoffs again and looks at the floor with a swallow, " _ Darnley _ ."

"Okay." He says quickly, "I haven't had the chance to...tell her is all."

"You've had plenty of time to plan a family road trip." She folds her arms over her chest as she shakes her head. 

"Look-"

"The answer is no."

"If I want to spend time with my son I shouldn't have to ask permission." He snaps it at her, angry now that she has continued to say no.

"And you can do so, but you're not taking him that far away from me." 

"Mary-"

"No." She says again, "And that's the final answer." He runs a hand through his hair, it's messy like he has been doing that all day. She used to like the mess, she used to run her fingers through the soft and dark tresses the way he liked. 

"My mother wants to see him."

"Lynn can visit." She says, she's done it before, she doesn't see why she can't now.

"Mary."

"What?"

"Thought we were supposed to be civil." He says softly and he's right. But he's also the one who hasn't been civil since she came to him with the prospect of getting a divorce. He's made everything as difficult as he can possibly make it, right down to who gets the curtains from the house. Which she never cared about, honestly, he probably didn't either but the man loves to yell at her.

"Two days." He says, "On a weekend so he doesn't miss school and I will let him call you every hour."

"Darnley."

"Please?" He begs as he grabs her hands, "Just a weekend. And I promise I will use that time to tell my mother about the divorce." She will surely rejoice when she finds out Mary is out of her son's life.

She rolls her eyes, sighs heavily, he isn't going to stop until she says yes.

"Fine." She says finally, "One weekend. And I want to talk to him every few hours Darnley, I mean it." Besides, a road trip with his father might be good for James. Maybe it will cheer him up after the hellish few months they all had.

_ -/- _

"Mary?" She recognizes the voice as she pushes her cart through the cereal aisle and turns in time to see Lola is walking over to her with John in tow.

"Uh. Yeah?" She questions as she turns and Lola stands awkwardly where she is in the middle of the aisle, a basket of things on her arm as she tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Lola." She greets softly, remembering how the girl was less than friendly upon their first meeting.

"I..." she starts, "I wanted to apologize about the other day...at the school." She says awkwardly and Mary nods.

"It's...it's fine, Lola." She says slowly as she watches James start to interact with John. It seems their... _ scuffle _ has been forgotten about and they're becoming fast friends.

"No, it isn't."

"Okay, it isn't." She says softly. "Look, I get it. You were angry about what happened, I was to-"

"But that didn't give me the right to say what I said." She seems to feel genuinely sorry for it, maybe kicking herself mentally for having said it in the first place, so Mary nods as she moves her cart to the side so other shoppers can get through. 

"Well, thank you for apologizing. I'm sure it wasn't easy..." Lola looks over at their kids, who are engaged in conversation. Mary realizes that James doesn't have a lot of friends and she thinks Lola thinks the same thing about John because before she knows it, Lola is digging through her purse and pulling out a pen and jotting something down on an old receipt.

"Um," She finishes and hands it over, "Here is my number. I was thinking maybe James would like to come over and have a playdate with John or something?" She suggests slowly and Mary smiles a small smile as she takes the paper.

"That...that would be nice." She says as she folds it up and sticks it in her pocket. 

"Hey Mary, they're out of-" Kenna stops as she turns the corner, squinting at Lola as she joins them, "Who is this?" 

"Lola." She greets softly.

"Oh, You're Francis' baby mama," Kenna says as it comes back to her and Mary is the one squinting. She didn't know the girl knew Francis. She never brought up knowing her kids' teacher before.

"Uh...I...am." she says slowly with a breath of a laugh, "Do you know him?"

"Oh, I'm dating his brother." She says with a wave of her hand, "Half brother."

"Bash?"

"Wait." Mary says quickly, "I didn't know you were...dating James' teachers half brother?"

"Probably because  _ that's  _ a mouthful." Kenna jokes, "You never asked."

"Bash and Francis are related?"

"Yeah?" Kenna makes a face. She knew Bash had a big family, she just didn't realize he was related to Francis. Mary nods slowly, "Anyways. It's nice to finally meet you." Kenna smiles at Lola, and she shakes her hand.

"Auntie Kenna?" John questions before running over to give her a hug.

"The one and ooonnnllyyy!" She smiles as she swoops down to hug his tiny frame. 

"He talks about you all the time." Lola smiles as she brushes the boys' blonde curls back. "I should get going." She says after a second of silence, "Call me, Mary?"

"Sure." She says as Lola takes her son's hand and starts to lead him away from them.

"She seems nice," Kenna comments as she grabs James' hand and they start to walk. Mary is just trying her hardest to wrap her brain around this new development. Francis and Bash are related? She's known Bash pretty much her entire life, why have they never met until now? And why would Kenna be hiding Francis from her? Something like  _ that _ should be shared.

"You've been dating Bash for years."

"Yep," Kenna says as they walk.

"And you never thought to tell me about Francis?"

"Why would I?" She asks, "Listen, I've only met him a few times."

"You seem to have a good relationship with John."

"He's a good kid." She smiles fondly, "He stays with Bash sometimes when Lola is out of town and Francis has to get some extra work done or something."

"So, Bash's brother is my kids' teacher?" 

"I guess."

"Small world."

"Indeed."

_ -/- _

Later that night, she digs Lola's number out of her pocket and dials it. She doesn't answer right away but after the third ring, Mary's ear is greeted with her voice.

"Hello?"

"Lola?" She questions softly, "It's Mary. You gave me your number earlier."

"Oh hey!" She says it excitedly as she shifts in her seat. She can hear the soft hum of the television in the back. 

"I know it's kind of late-"

"Oh, that's alright." She tells her, "I just put John to bed."

"Me too." She says softly, "James, I mean."

"I figured that," Lola says with a soft laugh and then it's quiet and Mary drums her fingers on her thigh. "So you know Bash." She inquires after a few seconds of silence and Mary nods.

"Yeah."

"He's never mentioned you."

"He's never mentioned you." She says it back. Or Francis. Or even John. She wonders why that was, though as she thinks about it he did sometimes mention his nephew in passing but she was always too wrapped up in what Darnley was doing and trying to keep her marriage from crumbling to really ask. He doesn't talk about his family much and maybe it's because it would be too much to unpack in a simple conversation.

"Kenna seems nice. John really likes her, she's good with him." Kenna is an only child, a child with a wild streak. She can often be found making scenes or bar hopping, but she has a maternal side that Mary wasn't expecting from her. She's good with James too and has always been able to see his side of things. There's a childlike wonder to Kenna that doesn't show itself often, and on rare occasions, she can be quite serious. 

"So, Francis and Bash." She says softly; She's surprised she didn't catch it. But she supposes they don't look much alike; honestly, they're complete opposites, aside from the eyes; which are the same crystal blue. "Half brothers?"

"Hm. Yeah." Lola sighs, "Their father is kind of...he gets around." 

"Same dad but different moms?" She doesn't know why she's asking, it isn't her business but here she is, asking. 

"Bash was the result of a long affair." She tells her anyway, even though it isn't her business and she could just ask Bash if she really wanted to. "Francis came after." Lola says on a sigh, "That's really all I know, you'd have to ask one of them."

"I don't think they'd tell me." Mary hums. She can't really ask Francis on the account that she doesn't know him, not well enough to question his family tree at least and she isn't sure Bash would want to dive into that. Or if she could stand him questioning her sudden need to know his family history.

"Francis can be quite open," Lola says softly.

"You had a child with him, it'd be rude for him not to be open with you."

"I guess." She says, "So. Francis." 

"...Yup?"

"That was quite a meeting the other day," Lola says that in a teasing tone and Mary straightens.

"What?"

"Mary, if the walls could talk they would have been singing," Lola says dryly like she knows something she doesn't. She rolls her eyes. "Also the way he laid into me after you left all but confirmed my suspicions."

"I...don't know what you mean." The blush that spreads on her face says otherwise, but Lola can't see it so she mentally rejoices.

"He likes you!"

"What? No."

"You walked in, your eyes met,  _ boom  _ romcom." 

"It...I don't-"

" _ Okayokayokay _ ." She says quickly, "Maybe you were too angry with me to see it, but I saw it, okay sparks were flying and it was beautiful and I can't wait to talk about this precise conversation at your wedding." The statement makes Mary laugh more than she should, mostly about the  _ absurdity  _ of this. They had one- no,  _ two-  _ two conversations and one had to do with him stopping her from slapping Lola. That doesn't really scream the works of a bestselling romance novel. 

So she says the only thing she can think of to stop the butterflies in her stomach.

"I'm married." 

"Nooooo!" She whines, "Get unmarried."

"Lola..." she giggles, she doesn't think this is the time to tell her that she is doing precisely that. She just leans back with her wine glass and tries not to think about how she said that Francis  _ likes  _ her. "He is pretty." That comes out without her consent and she cringes.

"Francis, Mary thinks you’re pretty!" She hears Lola's shout and her soul leaps from her body.

" _ STOPPPP _ !" She hisses and she hears Lola's soft laugh.

"He's not really here." She says after a second, "I won't tell him your secret."

"Oh my god." She whines softly and she wants to hang up but she doesn't. She hasn't had a decent conversation in so long and Lola has already made her laugh a few times tonight. It's strange, only a few days ago she wanted to run the girl down with her car and now they're giggling to each other like high schoolers gossiping about the cute boy on the football team. 

"James and John have been hitting it off," Lola says after a while, seemingly dropping the Francis thing. "Even after their uh...fight."

"Never did find out who started that."

"John won't talk about it either." 

"Maybe it's better left unsaid," Mary says softly, she would like to know though, and while she can't see James being the aggressor, she can't roll out that this divorce has been pretty hard on him. 

"Oh!" Lola gasps, "What is he doing this weekend?"

"Visiting his grandmother. He hasn't visited her in a while." She says softly, she just remembered. She'll have to remind herself to make him pack tomorrow since they're leaving right after school.

"Oh. Well, maybe they could get together next weekend. What if we do something?"

"Like...like what?"

"I don't know, go out, have some drinks. Something fun."

"Are you asking me on a date?" 

"Hm." She hums, "I'll ask my fiance if he's cool with a third and then I'll let you know."

"Uuuuuh-"

"A joke." She clarifies, "No but seriously. I owe you after the...bitch I was before."

"Yeah...okay, sounds fun." She agrees softly and Lola tells her she'll call again sometime tomorrow to plan some more and then the line goes dead.

_ -/- _

She's going to meet Lola for drinks at a bar she frequents with her fiance, Julien, and she even suggested Mary bring some of her friends along if she'd like. Which is how she ropes Greer, Aylee, and Kenna into it. She takes James to school that morning for Darnley to pick up after and then he'll be away until Sunday night.

She finds she's actually excited about what tonight could be. She hasn't had a night out in so long, not since she had James. It'll be fun. And Lola seems nice, forgetting what happened at the school the other day, she thinks she could become a good friend to her.

She doesn't recognize the number that pops up on her phone screen as she's getting ready and, honestly. She should have known. 

"Hello?" 

"Mary, this is Francis." He says when she answers and she makes a face, "I got your number off some old paperwork."

"Okay..."

"Um, listen it's really none of my business but James was really excited today about doing something with his father this weekend and it's my understanding that it was his turn to pick him up?"

"...Uh-huh..."

"I've waited as long as I can-"

"Oh my god, he didn't..." 

"No..." He sighs, "He didn't come..." She looks at the clock and sees it's nearing five-thirty and school lets out at two, maybe three if you add in the usual pick up time.

"Is James okay?" She asks softly, trying to swallow the sea of emotions that are flooding her. She's heartbroken for James, but so very,  _ very  _ pissed at Darnley.

"He...seems okay. It's hard to tell with children." Francis says softly, "I've been trying to get ahold of Darnley but he isn't answering."  _ Of course, he isn't. _ "I'm hoping it's just...car trouble or something." Something about his voice tells her that he's familiar with this type of thing. She wonders how many children he's had to comfort when their parents failed to pick them up.

"I'm on my way." She says. As she gets in her car, she calls Lola to tell her that she can't make it but that Kenna and the others can still meet her at the bar. She doesn't see why she has to completely cancel her plans just because Mary won't be able to go. She understands and that seems to be the end of that.

_-/-_

The halls are darker than when she was last here, signifying that it's late even for teachers to still be here. The other doors are shut and inside is dark, but the light pours into the dim hallway from under the crack in his door. She walks in to find James is putting together a puzzle with John.

"Hey." Francis greets softly as he walks over to her and she smiles a small smile as her greeting, afraid she'll snap at him despite the fact he would be undeserving of it. "I gave him something to eat, John has been keeping him company. He's quiet."

"He gets quiet when he's upset." James doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeve, he's like Mary that way. He's calm until he can't be calm anymore. "Thank you for staying with him. I know you probably had plans with John."

"Don't worry about it, John is used to having to stay here with me from time to time." He says and then he's quiet for a second before he asks his next question. "I don't mean to pry, but...does Darnley do this a lot?" He asks it softly and while Darnley has done this before, she has to be careful with how she words this because Francis is a mandated reporter and Darnley's inability to pick up James coupled with Mary's work schedule could cause more trouble and misunderstanding.

"No..." she says softly, "I mean...when I first left him he could be a little flakey but I thought that was just because the separation thing was so new..." she shakes her head, "He's been good...better than I thought he would be." She could say a lot about Darnley, she could make a damning list of all of his faults but she would never put down, _ Bad father _ , because he isn't.

He's just _ stupid  _ sometimes.

Francis is looking at her like he gets it and she wonders if maybe he gets it because his father wasn't a good one. Maybe he did the same thing to him as a kid but she can't assume, she's going off what Lola told her last night.

Francis just nods and gives her a reassuring smile. 

One that makes her stomach dance but she mentally shakes off the feeling.

"James," Mary says sweetly as she walks to where he is, still putting the puzzle together with John in a corner of this small classroom. 

"Where's dad?" He asks without looking up and she gives him a small smile as she tucks a strand of her own hair behind her ear.

"You know, he isn't feeling well." She explains softly, "He said he'll take you to see Granny Lynn next weekend." 

"Oh..." he seems sad at that, but he doesn't look up from the puzzle, he just fidgets with the piece still in his hand.

"But we can have fun this weekend, yeah? Whatever you want to do." She smiles, "Can you get your stuff for me? We can go home and-"

"Okay," James says softly before he stands up. He doesn't say anything else as he goes over to his cubby to grab his backpack and coat and then she's walking back towards the door.

"Does this happen often?" She asks softly and Francis shrugs.

"From time to time." He tells her honestly, "Once, I had this student whose mother would constantly just leave her here, I ended up having to call CPS. Turns out she wasn't even supposed to have custody of her."

"Oh..."

"Yeah..." he sighs. "But um...life happens, Darnley has never done this before so don't worry about...CPS."

"Okay." James has returned to her side, fingers sliding into her own and she smiles as she squeezes her son's hand. 

"Have a good night, Mary." Francis says with a small smile, "And  _ you _ , have an even better weekend." It's directed at James and the smile is lighter, easier, and it makes her chest tighten a little at the sight. 

_ His face really is a national treasure. _

"Um. Thanks again." Mary says quickly before she turns to the door and says goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is literally all I have at the moment. Suggestions are welcome. :)


	3. Chapter 3

James has been quiet since they got home. When he isn't within earshot she sends a few heated voicemails Darnley's way. He isn't answering and she wonders why that is, it isn't normal. He's been doing so well.

"James?" She calls when the boy leaves her view. He comes back, shoulders slumped as he steps in the kitchen. He's so sad, it's killing her and she turns to sift through the cupboard. "I have an idea." She smiles as she places a box of cake mix on the counter and that seems to bring a small smile on his face. 

"Like this?" She asks as she hovers an uncracked egg over the metallic mixing bowl, arm extending to high up, knowing if she brings it down with too much velocity; there would be no saving their cake.

"No, you're gonna get shells in it!" He says quickly and she frowns as she brings it down a little more, "You have to be gentle." 

"Oooh." She nods, "Gentle. I see." She says slowly before she taps the egg against the side of the bowl until it cracks just a little. Enough for her to pull it apart and send the gooey contents into the mixture.

"Did I do it?" She asks, pleased with herself and with the smile he gives her. 

"Can I do the next one?" He asks softly and she nods. He takes her by surprise when he does it perfectly. 

"Who taught you that?" She squints

"Dad did."

"He did?" Mary didn't even know the man knew how to turn on a stove. 

"Yeah, he can do it one-handed." He smiles. 

"Impressive."

"Maybe he can teach you when we move back home." He says it casually like the suggestion isn't supposed to make her stomach drop and she blinks.

She has two options here, option one would be to try and gently explain to him that she isn't moving back in with his father and ruin what little joy she managed to accomplish after Darnley stood him up.  _ Or _ . She could nod her head and smile, swallow the explanation for another day. 

"Maybe." She says softly, tacking on a small smile and clearing her throat as she grabs the box to read the instructions. 

Once the mix is in the circular pan and in the oven, they sit at the table to wait while it bakes.

"It was nice of your teacher to give you something to eat." She says softly. 

"Yeah."

"Do you like him?"

"Mr. V is nice," James tells her.

"Mr. V?"

"He lets us call him that because his name is hard to say." He explains with a shrug, like she's supposed to know that and she nods. "We play a lot of games in his class."

"I bet that's fun."

"It is." He smiles, "Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I pushed John." He says softly and his smile goes away. Mary straightens as she reaches to brush his curls back. So, she was wrong. James was the aggressor.

"Why did you push him?" She asks softly, trying to keep her voice light. She isn't angry, but he needs to understand why that isn't okay. "James."

"I don't know." He says softly.

"Did he say something? Do something?"

"No, John's nice." He says quickly, "He's always been nice to me..." 

"Okay..." she breathes, "Did...did you apologize to him?" He doesn't say anything, "When you do something wrong you have to apologize, even if you didn't mean to. Okay?"

"I know..."

"So, Monday when you see him, apologize for pushing him." She tells him and he nods. "I'm not mad."

"You're not?"

"I'm a little disappointed to find out that you started it, but as long as you apologize-"

"I will."

"Good."

_ -/- _

She isn't sure what to do now, does she call Lola and tell her that it was James who started the fight? Or just leave it?

She's scrolling through an article on childhood aggression when there's a knock on the door. It's a little late and she doesn't usually have many visitors. 

"Darnley." Mary sighs when she opens the door to see that it's him. He's pushing his way inside.

"Where's James?" He asks and she doesn't miss the sway of his steps, the slur of his words and he smells like he drank the entire contents of a liquor store.

"He's asleep." She tells him, "And you're drunk."

"I'm not," Darnley says with a hard shake of his head. "James!" He calls loudly as he pushed passed Mary again and starts heading for the hall that leads to the bedrooms. 

"Darnley." Mary snaps as she goes after him, he isn't very fast on account of being drunk off his ass, so she grabs him pretty quickly. "He's asleep."

"It's my weekend with him." Darnley snaps it as he turns around, "You can't...you can't just not let me take him." He's backing her out of the hall now and back towards the living room. He still calls for James.

"You're drunk. You are not getting in a car with our son."

"You're so  _ dramatic _ ." He says with an eye roll and he's closer now, backs her against the wall.

"What are you doing?" She asks as she puts her hand on his chest to push him back just a little. God, he smells, and he's acting strange. She attempts to step away from him but to her annoyance, he has her caged in. 

"Mary." 

"Darnley-"

"I miss you." He says softly as he cups her cheek and she squints at him because  _ that  _ came out of nowhere. She rolls her eyes with a scoff because she knows it isn't true. He didn't want her when he had her, what's changed? 

"Let me go." She says softly, giving him a little push but he doesn't budge. He takes advantage of her trying to move away because he swoops down without warning and catches her lips. 

It's sloppy, she grits her teeth to keep his tongue out of her mouth but that doesn't seem to bother him as he presses on. She jerks her head away to break it.

"Was that really necessary?" She asks as she gives him a shove, again, the man is a statue, her shoving does very little. " _ Stop _ ." She snaps, reaching the end of her robe, infuriated that he went so far as to steal a kiss and now he's grinning smugly at her like he just won a prize. 

He goes back in but this time it's rougher, head hits the wall with a thud when his mouth meets hers. He tastes like tequila, smells even worse, she thinks maybe if she just obliges that he'll leave. It's a stupid thought, but it's something. 

She could let his tongue in but he can't stop her from biting down as hard as she can. But she doesn't  _ want  _ to kiss him. 

"I..." She turns her head away again, breaking it successfully. "I said stop."

"I thought you missed this?" He questions, still against her, still holding her in place, "Passion." 

"Darnley." She says his name gently, eyes popping out of her head when she hears the sound of his belt being unbuckled. 

"Please." The plea sounds pitiful leaving his lips, "Come on. We don't even have to tell James. Huh? One last randevu before we say goodbye to our marriage." 

"No." She keeps her hands pressed to his chest, arms turning into steel rods to keep him back. "I said no!" That's a shout, a loud one when he attempts to move her hands from his chest. He's closing in when they hear it.

"Dad?" James's little voice makes them both still, Darnley curses under his breath as his hands go to his belt and then he's quickly refastening it. Mary tries to make it look less like she's running away as she goes to James. 

"He wanted to say goodnight. And to apologize for earlier." She says in an all too unsteady voice. She keeps her hands on his shoulders as Darnley walks over.

"I...forgot to clarify with your mother that I meant next weekend we were going to see grandma. Not this weekend." He says gently. 

"I thought you were sick." James sounds confused.

"Which...is why we're going next weekend instead," Darnley says slowly with a nod and then he's standing back up. A difficult task for a drunk man but he does it. "I'm sorry for waking you, go back to bed."

"You smell funny," James comments softly before he looks between the two adults with a confused expression and then he's turning to walk back to his room. They don't say anything until they hear the door close.

"You can't drive like this," Mary says after a steadying moment and then she's walking to the closet near the kitchen where she keeps spare blankets. "I want you-"

"Oh?"

"-Out by morning." She finishes firmly as she tosses the blanket on the couch, steps back when he reaches. "And for God's sake take a shower." That's the last thing she tells him before heading to her room and slamming the door shut. She locks it for good measure, he's still drunk and she doesn't need the man crawling into her bed by mistake.

_ -/- _

Mary gets up early the next morning, tiptoes around the man sleeping on her couch, makes a point to open every curtain. The more sunlight, the better. She can't guarantee that he'll remember what happened last night, but she relishes the chance to ruin his morning.

"Darnley." She says sweetly as she shakes him but he doesn't stir, just keeps sleeping. She pulls the blanket off with a scoff and he still doesn't move. 

Mary returns to the couch with a cold glass of water and she just watches him sleep. She used to love him so much. They used to be so good together, a perfect match. They got married right out of high school, Mary finding out she was pregnant only days before graduation. It was bliss at first, but neither one of them knew what they were doing. They had each other and that was the only thing that mattered.

She sighs heavily, now look at him.

She tilts most of the glass of water over his face.

"Mary, what the hell!?" He shoots up, glaring at her, hissing when the sun hits his face.

"Oh I'm sorry, was that rude?" She asks, she pours the rest. "Did you want me to stop?"

"What is wrong with you!?" He asks as he stands and he looks like he's going to be sick. He's hungover and he looks like hell. It's the little things that bring her joy these days. 

"Good morning." She says as she leaves the room, "Now get out."

"Mary!" He calls for her and she turns with a roll of her eyes.

"You came here drunk last night, I made you sleep on the couch. So, Recap. Go to a meeting, Darnley, you're going to get yourself killed." He tried AA before, it worked for a time. Maybe a year and a half, he was...fine, perfect. 

And then he just stopped going. 

His face tells her he doesn't remember the forceful way he was kissing her, how he had her cornered, the way he was caught with his belt half undone by their son. Who she has yet to see this morning but he undoubtedly has  _ questions _ . 

No, Darnley doesn't remember, he's never acted like that before. He's never been insistent and forceful, he's always stopped at the first sign of rejection. 

It took her so long to stop shaking and now she just wants to forget. 

"Please just go." She says softly when he takes a step forward and she takes a step back. He doesn't say anything else, he just grabs his shoes and leaves. 

James doesn't ask her what happened, what his father was doing, why he was holding her the way he was holding her. She hopes it was too dark for him to see much, but she knows that he heard them. She doesn't know how long he was standing there.

Mary watches him scoop cereal out of his bowl and then turn the spoon so milk and cereal meet the bowl again. Scoop, drop, scoop, drop, scoop-

"James." Mary says softly, "I want...I want to talk to you about last night." She says gently, "What you...saw with your dad and I..."

"What was he doing?" He asks softly and he doesn't meet her eyes.

"Remember when we told you that...me and your father wouldn't be living together anymore? And I said it would be confusing at first but-"

"Yeah."

"We were worried about how you would take it, and if you're having trouble with it, I understand. Sometimes adults have trouble too." She explains, "He's sad about it. Um, and sometimes when he's sad he drinks more than he should..." she doesn't know if she's explaining it well, but she needs James to not be afraid of him. Or afraid for her. Darnley wasn't himself last night and he needs help. 

"And that made him act weird?" He questions, he looks at her then. 

"Yeah. But he's going to get help with it and then he'll be better, and he'll never act weird again." 

"He wasn't...he wasn't trying to hurt you?" 

"No." She says quickly, softly, as she moves to him, "I was yelling because he wanted a hug and he smelled really bad." She says lightly, it's a joke, a little white lie but it makes James giggle. 

"He did smell bad." He laughs softly and she laughs a little too as she presses a kiss to the top of his head.

She thinks he believes her, she can't say for sure. She doesn't know what all he saw.

_ -/- _

The rest of the weekend is less eventful, they just lie around and watch movies. James doesn't ask any more questions and she thinks that he understands what happened, to an extent as he is only a child. She doesn't worry until the following Monday. 

She spends most of her workday in her office typing out editing types over an article draft that was sent to her. She's a little behind as she usually works on things at home over the weekend when James is with Darnley but that didn't happen. She barely hears her phone ring and answers it when the call is nearly sent to voicemail. 

"Hello?"

"Mary." It's Francis and she straightens, if Darnley didn't pick him up again she doesn't know what she'll do.

"What happened?"

"It's uh..." he sighs, "It's better that we speak in person." His voice is softer now and sympathetic and she nods as she stands.

"Is James okay? Did he do something?"

"No, no he's fine." He says quickly, "I just need to speak to you. It's important." She swallows.

"Um...okay." She doesn't really need any more persuading, it sounds serious and she's grabbing her coat and her keys a moment later. 

His door is open when she gets there, and she squints when she sees that James is still here. He's sitting by the window with John talking about whatever it is that kids their age talk about. 

"Um...did Darnley-"

"No, he came." Francis tells her, "But I may have told him someone already picked him up." 

"Why...why would you..." she gives him a confused look as she tilts her head at him.

"Lola, can you take the kids for a second?" Francis asks the girl softly and she didn't even see her when she walked in but Lola nods slowly before walking over, saying something to them softly, and then she's leading them both out of the room.

Her stomach tightens a little because this must really be serious. He's closing the door a moment later. 

"Francis, if James did something-"

"This isn't about James." He tells her seriously, "Well, it is but it also isn't." He adds, still doesn't make much sense but she just nods like she got it and shrugs.

"Okay..."

"Have a seat." He says as he goes back to his desk, sitting down himself and gesturing at one of the chairs next to him.

If the butterflies could calm themselves, she'd be able to move. She takes a deep breath before taking a small chair in front of his desk and sitting down.

"I...am confused." She confesses softly.

"Does Darnley drink a lot?" He asks seriously, gets straight to the point and she straightens. 

"He's had problems in the past but I don't see how that's any of your business."

"Mary, it is if it affects his child." He has her there. She swallows hard, avoids his eyes as she fidgets with her sleeve. He's watching her. "Something he told me was raising some concern is all."

"What did he say?" She asks even though she knows, good lord she should have realized James talking to Francis was a possibility. 

"He said that Friday night he heard you yelling and when he came out of his room, he saw you and Darnley." 

Mary runs a hand through her hair and then over her eyes and when she doesn't say anything, he continues.

"You were saying no and he had you up against a wall, with his belt unbuckled." He finishes softly and she shakes her head before speaking.

"It...it wasn't what you're thinking..." she tells him. But she can see why he was thinking it.

"Then what was it?" He asks it so seriously as he leans back, eyes boring into hers and she finds she's unable to speak with him looking at her like that. She shifts in her seat as she runs her hand through her hair again.

"Mary, it's okay." He says it gently, softly, "If...if he's hurting you-"

"No." She says quickly, "He's never laid a finger on me. He was just...he has a problem and he's working on it, okay? That was a one-time occurrence." She understands that this sounds like she's making excuses for him, that she's telling him a lie in the hope that he'll stop asking questions.

He runs his eyes over her like he's checking for bruises but there aren't any, because Darnley has never hurt her like that before. He uses words, not fists.

"You know I...I have to report if I suspect any abuse in your home."

"I know." She says softly, "but there isn't."

"It doesn't have to be physical abuse." He clarifies, "You said he uses words. Verbal is just as bad." Well, this is getting out of hand real fast. 

"He has been nothing but loving towards James. I swear." Darnley would never say anything to James that would hurt his feelings, he spoils the boy if anything. He hardly ever disciplined him before. 

"Mary-"

"I know this looks bad."

"James sees what he does to you. He hears it, even if Darnley doesn't live with you any longer, the fighting, the name-calling, the threats. They will stay with him even if it isn't directed at him." He says, "If he comes to me again, worried for you, I will have no choice but to make calls and have James removed from your home." 

And to think she thought she was in love with this beautiful, beautiful man. All she feels is anger now. He wasn't there, he doesn't know her or Darnley. 

"So, you're going to punish me for something his father did?"

"I don't like having to sit you down and question you like this, but when a child is afraid for his mother, I have no choice. Darnley may not direct his anger towards your son right now but can you really sit here and tell me that he won't one day?" 

"I can."

"Mary-"

"No, you know what, make your calls." She says as she stands, seething now. How dare he? How dare he sit here and threaten to have her child taken away.

"Mary-"

"I know Darnley and what happened last night was scary but he doesn't even remember, he wouldn't hurt James.  _ Ever _ ."

"I'm worried about you." He says quickly before she can exit and she stops walking but doesn't turn around. 

"Don't be." She says, "James and I are fine." She doesn’t say anything else, there isn't much more she wants to say to him. She just leaves the room and let's the door close with a slam. Lola turns to her in the hall, she looks nervous, worried. All of which are enhanced when she sees Mary’s face. 

“What happened?” She asks and while she seems concerned, she seems equally curious. Mary just shakes her head as she grabs her son's hand and walks down the hall. Francis will probably tell her if she questions him enough and then she doesn't know what will happen. 

_ -/- _

"He threatened to have my child taken away." She says bitterly as her mother listens, she's chopping up something for dinner and doesn't look up at Mary's rambling.

"He's just doing his job, dear."

"Well, he needs to do it somewhere else."

"Mary, can you blame him for being concerned?" She asks with a quirk of her brow and she can't. She knows that if a child had come to her with what James came to him with; she would ask questions as well. The thought doesn't quiet the anger she feels despite it. She just narrows her eyes at her mom, who has yet to look up. 

"It wasn't like he was beating me."

"No," she tsks, "He just kissed you even though you were saying no. I have half a mind to go over there and stick this knife in his neck." 

"Please don't do that." Her mother is fiercely protective of Mary, almost painfully so. It's her way of making up for not being supportive when Mary fell pregnant and decided the best thing for her child was to marry Darnley. She loved him then, so she thought marriage would come out of their relationship. Maybe not so soon though.

"Has he done anything since?" She asks.

"No." She hasn't talked to him since the other morning and he hasn't reached out either. It's for the best, he probably doesn't remember what with how drunk he was and that just makes it easier for Mary to try and forget.

"How was your night out with your friends?" Her mother opts to change the subject, something she's thankful for. Right. She didn't tell her she didn't go.

"I...had to cancel."

“Are you serious?” Her mother sounds less than pleased at that as she finally looks up from the cutting board. “Mary, can you honestly tell me when the last time you went out and had fun was?” She can’t. She thinks maybe the last time was when she  _ got  _ pregnant. 

“It’s not a big deal,” Mary says softly her mom just glares as she sets the knife down.

“Call your friends.” She tells her as she nudges her towards where she laid her coat over a kitchen chair at the small dining table. James is in the other room, curled up on the couch and watching tv. Mary makes a face when her coat and purse are shoved in her arms. 

“Uh-”

“I will stay with James, I need some quality time with my grandson anyways and you can go out, have some fun.”

“I-”

“Don't argue with me.” She smirks and Mary sighs heavily, she isn't going to take no for an answer and after the events of the weekend and what happened today, she could use it.

She sits in her car in front of her house, phone in hand, not really sure what to do. 

“Kenna?” She questions softly.

“That’s me.” She says, “What’s up?”   
“My mother is forcing me to go out...so...are you busy?”

“I’m...can Bash come?” She asks softly. “You know what, let me make some calls. Give me five minutes.” The line goes dead after that and she thinks she couldn't have called a better person, Kenna has been trying to get her to do  _ something  _ for so long now. She just doesn't know who she’s going to call and maybe she should have asked before letting her hang up.


	4. Chapter 4

They're meeting at the same place Lola wanted to meet the other day. A small bar and grill in town, it's full of people, which makes it difficult for her to find Kenna. She finds her though, passed the sea of other people, she's standing by a tall, round table with Bash and she walks over slowly.

"You're here!" She smiles as she throws her arms around her neck, "I thought for sure you would back out."

"Uh no..." Mary says softly, her mother wouldn't have let her if she tried to make up some excuse to stay home. Kenna steps back with a small smile and Mary gives Bash a little wave.

Lola is here too, she notices but she's talking to Greer and Aylee and wow, Kenna called everyone for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

She was hoping they could just get dinner and talk but it seems like Kenna was more than willing to make this more than what it was. 

She feels a little out of her element, especially now that she realizes she's still in her work clothes. A blouse and black skirt, heels. Everyone is dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.

"Mary, you're here." Aylee notices her awkwardly standing off to the side and gives her a hug. It's been a while since they've seen each other, Mary has been too busy with the divorce to catch up with, well, anyone. Aylee pulls her over to where she and Greer are sitting, a booth off to the side of the crowded table. 

"Hey, Mary." Lola smiles a small smile and Mary feels a tinge of guilt at the way she left her earlier. She doesn't know what Francis told her, if he told her anything, but she looks worried. She smiles a small smile back as she glances at Greer who is telling everyone a very animated story about her new boyfriend, a man who is particularly fond of pepper. Mary thinks it's odd, but as long as she's happy.

"We had a lovely candlelight dinner," Greer smiles, "Until he reached over and caught his sleeve on fire." 

"Oh!"

"Poor waiter had to put him out." Greer laughs softly. She isn't really paying attention to the conversation, she takes a moment to check her phone. It's been a long time since she's left James when it was her time to have him, and when she was still with Darnley. She doesn't get out much, only on rare occasions and she thinks that's why she's worrying so much. No messages or calls, it's just a blank screen.

"Mary, James is fine," Kenna says softly with a knowing smirk, she places a supportive hand on her shoulder as she sets a drink in front of her. Mary sighs as she looks up, Kenna has moved over now to slide in the booth next to Lola and Mary's stomach twists at who she sees by the bar with Bash. 

It's Francis and he looks different. He's dressed down compared to what she's seen him in before. He's in a light blue button-down with the sleeves rolled up a bit to expose his forearms and a pair of dark jeans. It really shouldn't make her insides flip but it does. She realizes she's only ever seen him in the school and never outside of it. Until now at least. 

He's laughing at something Bash said and she should look away but she doesn't. 

"Mary." Greer snaps her fingers outside her ear and she turns her head quickly.

"Huh?"

"I was asking how the divorce stuff was going?" Greer asks with a quirk of her brow.

"It's...going..."

"You're getting a divorce?" Lola questions with a tilt of her head, "So you  _ are  _ single."

"Not...officially," Mary tells her slowly because she can already see the gears in her head working. 

"But you will be."

"I'm not looking." She doesn't mean to snap it but she snaps anyways. 

"If you had looked any harder at Francis I would have given you a camera." Lola teases as she smirks and that gets Kenna’s attention. 

"Mary was looking at what?" She asks as she returns to them. 

"Nothing."

"Mary is smitten," Aylee comments softly and she glares at her friend, she was supposed to be the good one but maybe she's spent too much time with Kenna and now she knows  _ things. _

"I am not!"

"With whoooooo?" Kenna quirks a brow and sports a mischievous grin as she nudges Mary over to squeeze the rest of the way into their booth, "Tell me, tell me, tell meeeee."

"Guys-"

"She's been giving Francis longing looks since they met." Lola supplies the answer that Kenna probably already knew and the girl all but glows next to her. Mary sinks low in her seat and covers her face with her hands. 

"Your son's teacher? Oh, the scandal!" Kenna teases lightly as she pokes Mary's side, "Fantasizing about getting hot and heavy in the teachers' lounge, huh?" 

She wants to both push Kenna in front of a moving car right now, and walk throw herself in front of one. 

"Married." She says weakly.

"Not for lonnnggg." Greer teases, good god Greer is in on it too. 

"I hate all of you," Mary mutters. 

"You're really gonna hate me here in a minute," Kenna comments as she stands up and she doesn't have time to force her to sit back down before she's moving over to where Bash and Francis are. 

This really can't get any worse, can it? 

_ Nope _ . They're walking over with her friend. 

"Francis can't stay for long. He was only here for moral support." Kenna says as she joins them once again but this time she squeezes herself between Bash and Francis so that Francis has to move closer to Mary. 

"Are you that intimidated by women?" Francis squints at his brother.

"You've never been around this bunch." Bash jokes back, "Like having an open cut in an ocean full of starving sharks."

"We're not that bad." Kenna waves a hand dismissively. "Bash, shut up." She says quickly when he goes to speak and he just closes his mouth and rolls his eyes. 

"This is nice." Aylee says softly after a moment of silence, "We never do this anymore."

"That might be because Mary doesn't leave the house," Greer comments casually.

"I...leave the house." She argues.

"Hm." Greer squints at her, "What's a day in the life of Mary Stuart, let's see." She thinks for a moment, "Take James to school, work, pick up James, go home." 

"I...I do other things."

"Right, how could I forget." She nods, "Errands." She adds with a nod of her head.

"When's the last time you've been on a date?" Lola asks, oh great, she didn't know she invited them all out to  _ roast her alive _ .

"None of your business." She says sweetly with a tilt of her glass. 

"That's the short answer for literal years." Kenna says dryly, "Wait did Darnley ever take you on like an actual date?" She doesn't want to answer that, not because she can only give them one specific time where he did take her on a date before James was even thought of.

She falls silent as she looks at her glass, watching the ice float.

"Mary?" Aylee questions softly, the jokes have stopped, at least for her because she has always been able to sense when Mary is upset.

"I...don't want to talk about Darnley." She supplies softly. She doesn't want to think about the other night and she finds herself wondering if Francis told anyone else. Not that it's anyone's business, she assumes that he knows that she and Bash are close. Maybe he asked him about Darnley before or after questioning her earlier. But if Bash knew, he wouldn't be here, he'd be kicking in Darnley's teeth right now. 

Lola shifts in her seat, uncomfortable and she tracks on a small smile with a clear of her throat. "So, Bash, what do you do?" She asks, she thinks she just did it to fill the silence, to make this less uncomfortable and Mary steals a glance at Francis to find that he's already looking at her. He offers her a reassuring smile and she looks away. 

_ -/- _

Francis stepped out to take a call just as she was getting ready to leave and she rolls her eyes at Kenna when she smirks at her. 

She shouldn't eavesdrop but she's busy sifting through her purse to find her car keys and she hears him.

"Okay..." he says, "How bad is it?" He asks and then listens and heaves a heavy sigh as he rubs at the back of his neck, "And treatment?" He questions, "He doesn't-" he's interrupted, "Okay. Yeah. No, I won't say anything until you do." He nods and then he's hanging up and when he turns around, she quickly goes back to looking for her keys.

"I...I wasn't trying to..." she explains with a shake of her head as he looks at her like he caught her listening. 

"It's alright." He says softly.

"I was...I'm just gonna go." She tells him quickly as she heads for the parking lot.

"Mind if I join you?" He asks and she almost chokes at that as she turns, "If I walked you to your car." He adds quickly when he gets a load of the terrified expression she's probably wearing. 

"Walk me?"

"There's a lot of crazy people around." He tells her and, yeah, that's a nice gesture so she nods and allows him to fall into step next to her. She didn't park far from the entrance, really a chaperone isn't necessary. 

"This is me." She hums softly as she  _ finally _ finds her keys resting at the bottom of her purse. 

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you." He says suddenly, "Couldn't really get a word in before and I didn't want to pull you away from your... _ eccentric _ friends."

"Sorry about them." She says softly as she shifts on her feet. "If it's about earlier-" she doesn't want to hear it. She isn't sure she can take more of him threatening to have her kid taken away.

"I wanted to apologize." He says, "I know that you're doing your best with James, but I was just doing my job. I didn't want to call it in without speaking to you first." 

"You're not going to get my son taken away from me?"

"Not from you." He says, "But if he...if Darnley does something like that again, I will have to do something. I can get in a lot of trouble if I don't." Ah, yes, the mandated reporter thing. She nods as she fidgets with her keys. 

"He's working on it." 

"I hope so." Francis sighs after that and he looks like he wants to say more but he doesn't.

"Can I...can I ask what that call was about?" She questions, it looked serious, he knows something about her, now it's her turn.

"Um." Francis shrugs, "My father is sick." 

"Oh."

"He went into remission a few years ago but the cancer came back. It's uh...it's bad this time." He sighs, runs a hand through his hair, "My mother just wanted to make sure that I didn't accidentally tell my younger siblings."

"Oh, yeah that might be bad." She says softly, "You have siblings. Besides Bash?"

"Six."

"Oh, that's...must have been fun growing up at your house." 

"A blast." He says it with a hint of sarcasm and shake of his head, "I love them, but they were a lot."

"I have a brother." She tells him, she doesn't see him much anymore though, as he is stationed overseas but sometimes he sends her letters and she sends him pictures of James. "We got really close after my dad died." He died when she was five, heart attack, she remembers being in the kitchen with him and then he was on the floor. It's the only memory she has of him, the trauma caused her to block the others. 

“Sorry about your father.”

“It was a long time ago.” She says with a shrug. He doesn’t say anything, he’s just looking at her and she’s looking at him, both of them are waiting for the other to speak but they don't and she clears her throat. “Sorry, my friends were being weird.” She says softly when she can't find anything else to say. She’s mostly sorry about Kenna. Specifically sorry about the incident where the girl faked a cough and  _ shoved  _ Mary right into Francis and he had to catch her. 

It was both the best two seconds of her life and the most mortifying. 

“They weren't that bad.” He shrugs, “And Bash did try to warn me.” 

“Kenna can be a bit much.” 

“I know, I’ve met her.” He says with a smirk and, right she knew that. “Not really sure how I feel about Greer though. She’s a little terrifying.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m pretty sure she has some bodies buried in her backyard.” She jokes and he laughs a little at that and the sound makes her entire body feel like it’s floating and makes her own smile spread a little wider. “Lola is nice.”

“She can be.” He says softly, “Should have met her before Julien,  _ yikes _ .” 

“Is it weird?” She asks suddenly, not that it's any of her business but she is curious, “To see Lola getting married to someone else after you guys…”

“No.” He says that honestly, “We’ve known each other since we were kids and it really was only the one time. I just want her to be happy, Julien makes her happy, why would that bother me?” 

“Darnley isn't like that.” She says softly. No, she had his kid and now he feels like she’s his property, it’s a very medieval mindset and he used to get so jealous if she even  _ talked  _ about another man in front of him. Francis doesn't say anything else, but she does notice there’s a little hostility in his eyes. Darnley isn't making a great first impression on him and she can't lie and say she doesn’t find that hilarious. She was always the one who was being judged for not being there to pick up James or being able to get out of work long enough to make it to a parent-teacher conference. Now Darnley is being judged, how lovely is that? 

“Is he the jealous type?” He asks.

“Yeah.” She nods, “I wasn't allowed to have male friends.” She tells him and that’s part of the reason why it’s so awkward between her and Bash now, they used to be so close. Then Darnley happened and she found herself isolated, a town away, and, for the most part; alone. Which was exactly what he wanted. “But he was allowed to have female friends and if I said anything about it...he’d pretty much say that I’m crazy, even after it was revealed that he was sleeping with every single one of them.” She’s oversharing, she should stop talking. But he’s listening, he’s listening like he  _ wants  _ to listen and it’s been so long since she’s had that. Francis breathes a laugh at that and she squints at him, it’s not funny.

“Sorry.” He clears his throat, “It’s just...absurd that he would do that to you.” He says softly and her stomach flip flops. Because it sounds to her like he meant that he couldn't believe Darnley would go looking for another when he had  _ this  _ at home. His eyes are saying that as they mix with hers and she almost asks what he means by that but-

“Mary!” Kenna shouts as she walks out of the bar, “You almost left your pho-” She stops when she sees him and they both look away from each other to glance at the intruder. She blinks, laughs awkwardly, “Aha...so sorry.” She stammers as she hands Mary her phone, but then she’s pulling her in for a hug. “Good thing you’re outside, all this sexual tension in the bar would have been  _ suffocating _ .” She whispers lowly, just for Mary. She pulls away with a smirk and gives a little wave to Francis before jogging back to the bar. 

She shakes her head as she tosses her phone back in her purse. 

“I should...go.” She says after a few seconds of awkward silence and Francis nods before stepping back. 

“Have a good night.” He says as she opens her door and is just about to climb in when, “Be sure to tell Kenna to whisper a little softer.” He adds and she freezes but he doesn't add anything else to that, he just smirks in the way that makes her insides dissolve into mush. She smiles an awkward smile as she shuts her door and covers her face with her hands like he didn't already see the pink spreading up her cheeks.

She’s screwed and she thinks he knows that now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET THE GAMES BEGIN
> 
> This update is a little bit shorter than I wanted but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless, it's a bit lighter than the other chapter and a wee bit flirtatiousssssss.


	5. Chapter 5

She didn't think divorcing him would be this difficult, she thought he would be all for it, considering he had been sleeping with everyone  _ but  _ her and they hadn't had a real conversation in several months. 

Today though, today Darnley wants nothing more than to drag this out as long as possible.

"We had an agreement!" She's shouting at him.

"I changed my mind!" He shouts back. The topic of the day is custody, Darnley wants to have James more often and while under normal circumstances that wouldn't be a problem. It isn't normal, he has a problem and he doesn't seem to be in a hurry to fix it. 

Mary runs her hand over her face with a groan.

"Have you been to a meeting?" She asks as she folds her arms over her chest and his face tells her he hasn't. 

"I'm fine."

"Darnley." 

"No." He shakes his head with a scoff as he paces, "You always do this." He accuses with a shake of his finger at her and she rolls her eyes, "Whenever you feel like you're losing an argument, you bring up the drinking. It's not fair."

"You have a problem."

_ "You  _ have a problem!" He snaps at her, pausing in his pacing to look at her and she steps back at the shout, "Yeah. How much do you drink? I bet if I sifted through your garbage I'll find, what? Two? Three wine bottles?"

"Please," She scoffs, "As opposed to you downing a bottle of vodka every night?" She shakes her head as she steps closer to him. "We will discuss a better custody arrangement when we meet with our lawyers in a few weeks and you go without a drink for more than a month." She tries to sound sympathetic but he's been getting on her nerves lately and since the last incident, he's been even more prickly than usual. She isn't even sure if he remembers coming here drunk off his ass and pinning her to a wall while trying to shove his tongue down her throat.

Maybe he's being difficult because she wouldn't give him what he wanted.

"Please." Mary breathes, "Just take James to school so that I'm not late for work and I will pick him up from your house later."

"You wouldn't have to make the trip if you just let me have him more." He mutters, "I can't pick him up today."

"You're choosing _ now _ to tell me?" Now, instead of yesterday when they discussed this. She runs her hands through her hair as she groans again.

"Sorry, Mary, I have a thing. You'll have to find someone else. I will take him but I can't pick him up." And with that, he calls for James to come out of his room and they leave.

She calls Greer to ask if she can pick him up, but of course, her daughter has an appointment today and then Greers sisters are coming and she can't.

"Lola?"

"That's me." She says and she sounds tired but it is very early in the morning. 

"I...I need a favor." She says softly, "I won't be able to get James from school today, do you think you could take him to your place for a few hours? I'll pay you-"

"Oh, I...I'm not getting John today." She tells her, "I have a meeting out of town for work and Francis is just going to take John home."

"Oh..."

"I can talk to him for you." She offers.

"Uh-"

"He wouldn't mind watching him. Not like he's a stranger, besides, I'm pretty sure Francis would do whatever you waaannntt." She teases and Mary sighs heavily as she maneuvers her heels strap around her ankle. She feels like Lola knows something she doesn't but she doesn't have time to ask.

"Francis wouldn't mind having him over?" She asks.

"Well, John stays after with him for a few hours anyway, if I can't pick him up right away. He'll probably just keep them both at the school but if it gets too late." 

"Right..."

"I'll have him call you," Lola says and she nods as she shoves her other foot in her shoe, pretends the prospect of him calling her doesn't make her chest flutter.

"Thanks."

_ -/- _

It's seven by the time she finishes up at work and as she's walking out the building to her car, her phone rings.

"I'm on the way." She huffs as she shoves her things in the passenger seat and then walks around the car to climb in herself. It looks later than it is and the snow is coming down heavily, she hugs her coat around her tighter as she gets in her car.

"Take your time." Francis hums, "We're just hanging out here." 

"Okay."

"Be careful, the roads are a little slick." He tells her before he hangs up and she starts the car.

She wishes she had brought her boots so she could switch her heels for them. Especially as she makes the long track up the parking lot to the back entrance of the school. The back because the front locks after five and the back are open until ten for extracurriculars. She's sure he hears her coming up the hall, her shoes hitting the tile too loudly. 

"See, I told you she was on the way." Francis teases from his desk when she walks in. James' face melts into something like relief as he runs to her, throwing his arms around her legs tightly. She smiles as she combs her fingers through his curls.

"Hey." She giggles softly, "I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's okay." He says softly. 

"Are you hungry?" She asks. It's far past dinner time but he shakes his head.

"Mr. V got us pizza." He tells her and her eyebrows shoot up.

"Pizza?" She asks, "Well, that was nice of him, did you say thank you?" He says yes, but she glances at Francis for further confirmation and he nods before he stands. He looks to be gathering his things to leave, so she glances back down at James.

"You should get your stuff so we can go home." She tells him softly.

She's loading his things in the car a moment later and telling him to make sure he buckles this time. He forgot to once, and she hit the brakes too hard, let's just say James never did that again. 

"I did." He insists, tightening the strap over his lap. 

"Mary." His voice startles her as she closes the door and turns quickly, a little too quickly as she nearly falls when her shoe hits a patch of ice. She grabs him on instinct and he grabs her too, keeping her up but also pressing her body into his without meaning to.

"Careful," Francis says on a breath and she can't tell if the flush in his cheeks is from the cold or because of how they're positioned right now, she knows her face is probably changing to a pretty shade of red. "Pavement is...a bit...slippery." 

"Uh-huh..." she swallows, that's really all she can manage right now. The act of forming sentences proves to be quite difficult with him holding her like _ this _ . He let's go after another second and steps back and she does too, back finding the side of her car. 

"It's a bit late." He tells her, "And I thought maybe you hadn't had dinner yet." She hasn't, but she isn't very hungry, but her ears are ringing a bit now and her stomach is tying in knots at the thought that maybe he might be getting ready to ask her out. 

That's wishful thinking. 

"Um...no I haven't."

"Which is why," he pauses to hold up a small box, "I saved you a couple of slices." He smiles in a way that makes her heart squeeze and she laughs a little at the childlike glee he seems to be getting out of this gesture.

"Oh." She smiles as she takes the box, "Um, thanks..." 

"Any time." He says, "Be careful on the way home." He's stepping back more now and she starts to pull her keys out of her pocket. 

"You too." She tells him, "And thanks for watching James for me, I know it was kind of last minute."

"No problem." He leaves her after that, after one last wave and when she turns back to her car to head home, she looks back to find that he's looking back too.

_ -/- _

"Hear me out," Kenna says as she stretches on Mary's couch, she's about to go into another rendition on why Mary should just ask Francis out. This is something she has been doing since the other night,  _ a lot _ .

"If I hear any more I'm going to smother myself with a pillow." She says as flips through documents she can submit for her divorce hearing next month.

"He's a single dad, you're a single mom." She lists for the thousandth time and Mary sighs as she attempts to tune her out, "He makes really cute babies."

"Kenna." 

"He's probably great in bed." She says like Mary never said anything.

"Do I wanna know why you think that?"

"Have you seen him?" Kenna asks, "Man just oozes sex appeal."

"You're strange." Mary hums as she continues to flip through the packet of documents.

"You were thinking about it, I just said it out loud." Kenna pauses, it doesn't matter that she may or may not have been wondering what Francis was like in bed. Or what his mouth would feel like on hers, and his hands on her skin, what he sounded like when they- 

She shakes her head hard, a blush rising on her cheeks as she swallows. It's completely inappropriate, he's her son's teacher. He's off-limits. No matter how badly she wants.

"I want you to be happy." Kenna continues, "Good sex makes people happy. Look at me, I'm literally on cloud nine all the time."

"Ew."

"It doesn't even have to be serious, just do something, the hot, pulsating, tension is going to kill me." Kenna whines the last part and Mary rolls her eyes, "Are you even listening?"

"Unfortunately."

"So. On Monday you're gonna march into that classroom and be like, "Francis, I want you, you want me. Let's get it." And then you'll have mind-blowing intercourse on his desk."

"Ha...no." She has to laugh at the absurdity of that, she can't do that. She can barely speak a sentence when he's around her and again-, she shouldn't have to reiterate- he's her child's teacher. 

"Whhhhhhyyyyy!" Kenna whines loudly. 

"Why are you so insistent that I sleep with Francis?" Mary finally looks at Kenna, who is still lying on the other end of her couch, her feet propped in Mary's lap. She just shrugs as she sits up.

"When was the last time you had really... _ really _ good sex?"

"I'm not answering that." She mutters as she looks back at the documents strewn about her coffee table. It's been a while, Darnley is...he's good but the last few years have been mediocre at best. That's not the point.

"Dang, it's really been a long time." Kenna mutters, "Mary, you gotta get back out there, your name may be holy but you're not a nun."

"I'm not sleeping with my kids-"

"Yes, yes, he's little James' teacher during the day, by night though-"

"Please stop."

"You want hiiiiiimmm."

"No. I want my divorce finalized." She mutters. 

"Okay but after that-"

"No, Kenna." 

"What if he's the one?" She asks, "Like, the  _ my soul has never felt so complete _ one? Oh the, every time _ you talk to me I feel my insides quiver _ one?"

"Kenna, I am begging you-"

"No,  _ I'm _ begging  _ you. _ "

"I can't sleep with him. It would be too wrong."

"Oh but you want toooo." She sings it, high pitched and loud. She doesn't say anything, if she denied it Kenna would see right through her lies. So, she just sits and stares at all the paper on her coffee table and lets her friend ramble on and on about her and Francis.

She thinks there may be an ulterior motive to Kenna's insistence that Mary asks Francis out, but she doesn't have the energy to dive too deep into it.

Kenna’s teasing dies down as the hours' tick by and they wait for James to be dropped off by Darnley. She’s surprised when he doesn't come in with James and simply pulls up in front of the house to let their son out and doesn't stay long enough to make sure he got in. 

“Hey, where’s dad going?” Mary asks when James collides with her legs, she hugs him back. 

“He had a thing.”

“A thing?”

“With a friend,” James tells her and she quirks a brow at him.

“A...friend?”

“He told me not to tell you,” James says simply as he heads for Kenna, who seems just as confused as she is. She just shrugs as she crouches down to give James a hug.

James and Kenna are sitting on the windowsill drawing faces and clouds in the fog on the glass, giggling amongst themselves. James is nestled between Kenna’s legs, his back against her front as he finishes the mouth on a smiley face. 

“I have paper.” Mary offers, she has lots of it too, she’s printed so much stuff off the office is basically drowning in stray white papers all over. “You’re going to smudge up my window.”

“Relax, Mary.” Kenna smiles, “I’ll clean them when we’re done.”

“No, you won't.”

“I will.”

“You’re lying.”   
“I’m really not.” Kenna says that seriously and she squints at her, “Scouts honor.”

“I’m holding you to that.” She tells her, “If I find one smudge, Kenna-”

“Who’s F?” James asks suddenly pointing at something Kenna drew on the window and upon further inspection, Mary finds an  _ F _ and an  _ M  _ drawn with a plus between the two and floating in a heart. Mary rolls her eyes at Kenna’s handiwork and goes back to her laptop. Kenna doesn't answer the question, she thinks she was hoping for more of a reaction from Mary, but she didn't get it. 

“Hey mom, can we make cookies?” James asks after a while and she looks up to see they’re still by the window, the entire glass pane is covered in cute doodles. 

“Uh, maybe.”

“Francis would let us,” Kenna mutters as she pouts.

“Francis isn't here,” Mary tells her without looking up. 

“Oh, but he could be,” Kenna smirks wickedly at the way Mary whips her head at that. She glares at her but Kenna pushes on. “All it would take is a phone call.”

“No.” 

“You’re no fun, right James?”

“Right.” And now they’re both pouting at her and she rolls her eyes as she sets her computer on the coffee table and looks at them more directly. 

“After dinner.”

_ -/- _

“Mom?” James’s tired voice stops her just as she’s about to flick his bedroom light off and close the door. 

“Yeah?” 

“Why do you hate Dad?” He asks it softly, barely moves on his bed and she makes a face. She knows they weren't great at explaining everything to him, but she’s sure they never used the word hate in any talk they’ve had with their child, unless Darnley… 

She sighs heavily as she walks over, moving his small legs so that she can sit on the edge of the bed and he moves now to look at her, peering up with his big blue eyes, a sad expression on his face that makes her chest ache. 

“What gave you that idea?” She asks softly. 

“We don't live at home anymore…” He says with a shrug, “You shout at each other a lot, you’re always mad at him.” She swallows, they really have to be more careful about their fights, making sure that James isn't around to hear them but Darnley can be so  _ mean,  _ sometimes it’s hard. She sighs as she combs her fingers through his hair.

“I love him.” She tells him.

“You do?”

“Yeah.” She shrugs, “I mean...I always will but love takes different forms as you get older, sometimes you can love someone in a different way than you used to.” She has no idea if this is making any sense to the kid, to be completely honest, she isn't even sure if it makes sense to her. James doesn't say anything, “Remember that time Uncle Bash made you lemonade and you said you liked it but you really didn't?”

“Yeah.”

“And then you tried it again.”

“And I liked it a little more.” He says softly, “And I kept trying it until I liked it a lot more.”

“Yeah.” She says softly, “It’s like that but the opposite.” She lost him there, he’s looking at her like she’s speaking Spanish or something. “Dad is the lemonade and when we were younger, before you, I really  _ really _ liked him but then time passed and we got older, more mature,” She explains  _ (some matured more than others but that’s another topic for a different day), _ “And I didn't like him the same way. And he didn't like me in the same way. Our love for each other changed and we realized it was better to...embrace that than to try and force it.” 

James doesn't say anything, he’s just looking at her and he looks sad as he shifts. Mary pulls the blanket up to tuck him in, her hand coming up to smooth the dark blue fabric down. 

“Do you think…” He starts softly, “Do you think you could ever love him like that again?” He asks. She would rather be shoved in a woodchipper and then doused in gasoline and thrown into an incinerator but she _can’t really_ tell her son that, so she just shrugs. 

“I don't know.” She says softly, “I...really don't think so, kid.”

“Oh...”

“But I love you.” She says quickly, “So much.” She smiles a small smile. He smiles a small smile back. She loves him, so much that it almost hurts. She thinks her love for her son is more than enough to keep her happy for the rest of her days, what else could she possibly need? Why bring another man into her life when she has a perfect little boy already? 

“Go to sleep, you have school tomorrow.” She whispers as she leans forward to press a kiss to his forehead and then she’s standing to walk out.

“You should love someone again.” He says suddenly, “When you’re ready.” She squints, is an eight-year-old giving her dating advice?  _ What is my life? _ She thinks with a shake of her head. 

“Sometimes I feel like you’re older than me.” She tells him, “Goodnight.” She says as she turns off his light and closes the door with a soft click. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I am pleased to say that I think I have a better plan for this story. But still, please leave some suggestions, something to you know, really hype that tension up.   
> Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Darnley is away this weekend again for something to do with work. It's the second time he's done this and she is beginning to think his absence has less to do with work and more to do with the friend he's sworn secrecy to James about. She doesn't ask anymore, it just means she gets more time with her son. 

"I'm sure next weekend he'll take you on that road trip, bud," Mary says as James tucks himself in her side with a frown. He doesn't seem as bothered by it as he did before and that only makes her sadder. Him not being bothered is him becoming used to Darnley not being there for him.

"What movie would you like to watch?" She asks as she flips to the family-friendly section of Netflix. 

"What do you want to watch?" He asks.

"Whatever you want to watch."

"Okay but I want you to pick."

"Okay, how about Shark Tales?" She suggests

"No."

"Tangled?"

"No..."

"Beauty and the beast?"

"No."

"Wow, what happened to whatever I want to watch?" She jokes softly as she hands him the remote and watches him cycle through a bunch of selections before picking one. She doesn't know what it is but it's cartoony and they're singing, so, that's fine.

They get halfway into it when her door opens and her mother strolls in.

"I gave you the key for emergencies," Mary mutters as the woman removes her coat and hangs it on the hook by the door.

"I bought the house." Her mother supplies simply as she walks over to the couch and takes in the scene before her with a disapproving look. "It's Friday night."

"Darnley had a work thing."

"No, it's Friday night and you're wearing sweats."

"Mom."

"You're becoming a couch potato." She says with a shake of her head

Mary makes a face as she runs her fingers through James' curls. 

"Am not." She pouts. 

"James." Her mother smiles sweetly at the boy, who has begun to quietly drift off. "Don't you think mommy should go out and have a little fun?"

"I am having fun."

"Are you?"

"Well I'm not now," Mary says flatly.

"Mom, you should go." 

"Excuse me?"

"You never do anything fun," James tells her and he's being so serious she wonders how the hell he aged ten years in the span of five seconds. Mary shakes her head at them both.

"Go get dressed, get out." Her mom waves a hand as Mary gets dressed, "Have a little me time or whatever. I'll stay here with James." 

"Uh," Mary says when her mom pushes her towards the hall that leads to her room and takes Mary's place on the couch. She's already made herself comfortable, no use in arguing. So, Mary rolls her eyes as she walks down the hall.

"Fine, but if he isn't in bed by the time I'm back-"

"Goooooo!"

-/-

She's wearing jeans for the first time in probably forever. She's usually in a skirt or a dress for work, some sort of businesslike attire. She can't say she's missed the denim confinement. She throws on a red sweater after her mother makes her change three times and then she finally leaves with no real plans as to where to go.

She ends up back at the bar she went to with Kenna and all of their friends just a few weeks prior. It's a little weird being here by herself and she almost wishes she had picked somewhere else, but she felt like her mind had no real bearings on where her legs seemed to be taking her.

She gets a glass of water because it's free and she doesn't really like alcohol and she sits at the bar alone. It's a lonely life for her it seems. She almost wishes she had called someone, anyone, to come and sit with her but then she sees it. 

_ Oh, you have got to be- _

"Mary?" He sees her just as she sees him and their eyes lock for an agonizingly long second before he crosses the crowded room to her. "Hey." Francis greets her, "Are you alone?"

**"** Uh...yeah, **"** she says on a swallow, oh this must look pathetic. "My...mother forced me to get out so I...I don't know I just came here." She shrugs as she tips her glass to her lips and she takes him in. He's wearing a dark blue sweater that god, does everything look amazing on him or is she just  _ that _ deep into her crush to think he could ever look bad? He smirks as he takes the seat next to her.

"I was just about to leave." He says,

"Oh." She straightens, "Okay...have a good-"

"Well, I can't leave now." He sounds almost offended that she would think he would allow her to fend for herself. "I can't leave a lady all alone. I barely know you and I know you're completely out of your element."

"You don't have to stay for me."

"No, I don't." He nods, "But I'd like to." She tries not to blush at the way he looks her up and down just then, in a subtle way, if she had been anyone else. She probably wouldn't have noticed, but this is Francis and her eyes are pretty much constantly glued to him.

"Don't you normally have John on the weekend?" She asks with a quirk of her brow.

"No." He says, "Lola gets him for one week and then I get him for a week. We switch." 

"That's a good system." 

"It's worked so far."

"Darnley has been...forgetting to get James. He has him every weekend, though, for some reason, it's been every other weekend as of late." She tells him and she doesn't know why she tells him. She tends to overshare when they talk and she needs to work on that, he probably thinks she's a mess at this point.

Not that he would be wrong.

"Is James with him now?"

"He's with my mom."

"Oh." He says softly, "Your mother who forced you to leave the house."

"Yup." She sighs as she takes another sip, this water isn't helping her dry throat. It seems to only dry out more as she talks to him, and she's sweating, her heart is going so fast. They're only talking and yet he has this effect on her whole body. She needs to calm the hell down.

"So, do you make a habit of hanging out alone in bars, waiting to talk to sad divorced moms?" 

"Ha, no." He laughs softly, "I was...with someone."

Oh.  _ Oh _ . No wonder he looks so good, he was on a  _ date. _ The realization crashes over her like cold water and she swallows hard at the sea of emotions that take over. She's jealous when she has no right to be, he isn't hers. She has made it a point not to go after him, honestly, she shouldn't be surprised about him dating.

"Ah," she nods, "Lucky lady."  _ Shut up _ . She says it a little bitterly and takes another drink of her water so she doesn't have to see his reaction to that. 

"It wasn't a date."  _ Oh, thank god. _

"Oh-"

"I was just meeting with an old friend." He tells her with a smirk and he shouldn't have to explain himself, there's no reason to, she shouldn't have gotten jealous.

"Why did she leave?"

"Because our meeting was over."

"You have a time limit on hanging out with friends?"

"She has a very demanding job, and had to get up early." He explains. 

"That sounds...stressful." She says softly and he doesn't say anything to that, he just watches her nurse her water, fingers cupped tightly around her glass, afraid to move or breathe weird. She swallows again, "How is your father?"

"He's uh..." he sighs with a shake of his head, "He's hanging in there."

"That's good."

"I suppose." He says and He doesn't look thrilled about it, honestly, he looks a little sad but given the context, she allows herself to think it's just because his father is sick and not because he isn't dying fast enough. Francis doesn't seem like the type of person to wish ill of anyone.

His face changes though to something softer and the corners of his mouth tilt up slightly as he glances at her.

"I have a question." He says softly, "I couldn't ask you before because the kids were around."

"Oh..." Her heartbeat quickness at that and she tries not to get her hopes up as she turns to face him more directly.

"Why does James keep asking me what syphilis is?" He asks, she blinks, lets the question process for a second and promptly bursts out laughing. 

"Oh noooo." She whines hands covering her mouth as she tries to stop laughing and he's laughing too. "He  _ asked you _ that?"

"He did, very casually and I had no idea what to say."

"Oh god." She groans after the laughing dies down and she runs her hand over her face. "Um...I..."

"I'm on the edge of my seat here." He says when she's quiet. She shakes her head.

"Darnley...a few years ago he slept with someone that he didn't know, he had just met them and he didn't...use...um." she clears her throat, "And then he slept with me and we both got it. And now, whenever he tries to argue or he complains about something, I remind him of the syphilis thing. It's like a bitter inside joke." She explains, "I just...I guess I didn't realize that James could hear some of them." It's his turn to laugh and laugh he does. 

She's a little offended by it, she can't lie about that, because it feels more like the man is laughing  _ at  _ her instead of _ with _ her.

"It's not that funny."

"No, no, I'm sorry." He shakes his head as his laughter dies down to, on god the cutest giggle she has ever heard, and he shakes his head. "I'm ninety-nine percent certain the same exact thing happened to my mother." 

"What, no, are you serious!?"

"Yes, why would I lie about that?" He asks with a laugh, "My father and Darnley are a lot alike it's almost scary."

"I can't tell if that's a good thing or not." She says softly and he doesn't answer her, he just looks at her like he's trying to figure something out. 

"In the sense that he sleeps with everything with a pulse." He tells her after a while, "No offense."

"No, he...Darnley does do that." 

"I'm glad you're not putting up with it." He says when she's quiet, "My mother never really let my father see how much it hurt her and in the end, she didn't care, so long as he was home by dinner."

"So, they're still together."

"They're sticking it out for the kids." He says that with a roll of his eyes, "It doesn't matter, I guess, he won't be here much longer." She supposes he and Francis are not close, maybe his father's illness isn't hitting him as hard as it would others but she does sense a bit of sadness there. He shakes his head after a little while and straightens.

"Let's talk about something else." He says quickly.

"Like?"

"You."

_ -/- _

"What? _ No. _ " He says it like it's not the right answer, it can't be a right answer, it can't even be a wrong one. "No, pick a new one."

"Francis, I am not doing that." She says with a shake of her head. It's a different night, another Friday and the bar is just as busy as it had been last week. They're sitting in the back, she showed up not expecting him to be here and he was. She wonders if this is the start of a routine, or if it was just by coincidence that they're alone together again. James is safe with Darnley this weekend, on their way to her mother in law's house. Darnley finally delivering on his promise to take him.

They're discussing favorite movies and Francis is displeased with her answer. As cliche as it is, she does like Titanic and he can fight her if he has anything to say about it.

"Fine. What's yours then?"

"Casablanca."

"Casa _ what _ ?"

"It came out in the forties." He tells her, "Takes place after pearl harbor." He adds when she's still squinting at him. "You have no idea what I'm talking about."

"Not a clue." She says and he runs a hand over his eyes like he's physically trying not to throttle her right now. "Is it on Netflix?" She asks. 

" _ Ohmygod. _ " She giggles when he glares at her, she knows it isn't, but she just wanted to mess with him.

"Care to tell me what it is?" 

"I'm just trying to process how the hell you have no idea-"

"Do I look like I have time to sit down and watch a movie that was made before my own grandparents were born?" She asks with a quirk of her brow, "How would you even watch it? Do you have one of those old film things just...in your house?"

" _ Vintage _ projector." He corrects, "And...I might."

"Woooowwww."

"Hey, make fun of me all you want but at least my favorite movie isn't Titanic."

"It's a romantic tragedy!"

"It's cliche and overhyped!"

"Take that back!" She gasps as she grabs a handful of nuts and throws it at him. Her act of slight aggression only succeeds in making him laugh, which makes her laugh too. 

"Okay," he concedes softly, "You win." He says as he plucks a peanut off his shirt and drops it on the tabletop with a slight frown.

"It's my turn to ask a question." She tells him as she leans back in her seat, "What else do you do? Besides watching old movies and yelling at people who have never watched them."

"As you know, I teach."

"Hm."

"That's really it, unfortunately."

"So, you teach third-graders how to read and then you go home and watch weird movies in the basement."

"I teach High school as well." He tells her casually, as though she should have known that, "An elective twice a week."

"Really?"

"Yes, film and literature." He says with a smirk.

" _ That's  _ where the old movie thing comes in, I see." She nods, she isn't that surprised, he looks like the type of person who would teach something like that.

"Is it all coming together for you now?"

"I think so." She shifts in her seat, "That's a bit of a jump in demographic."

"Not really." He shakes his head, "Some days it feels like I'm still teaching third graders."

"Do you teach the elective in your regular classroom then or do you go somewhere else?"

"Well, there are two wings to the school, elementary and then high school and somewhere in the middle they smooshed junior high in." He tells her, "So, I use one of the abandoned science rooms in the high school section."

"Abandoned?"

"It's not abandoned it's just never really used."

"Why?"

"Budget cuts or something." He says with a shrug, "You're full of questions this evening." 

"Is it annoying?" She asks in a small voice. It's the first thought she has, Darnley used to hate it when she would go on and on about anything. Whatever came to her mind she would say it and he found it irritating. Especially if he was busy with something and she would bother him without meaning to, she gets lonely is all. It's nice to have a conversation with another adult once in a while.

"Not even a little." He tells her honestly, with a slight tilt of his head. "It's cute."

_ He called you cute and you have to marry him.  _ Her mind echoes and she shakes her head at the thought and smiles a wide smile as relief takes over.

"Oh. Cute..." he doesn't say anything, "It's just...Darnley doesn't like when I ramble...and I thought that-"

"I'm not Darnley." He says simply as he looks at her and there's a pretty sparkle in his eyes that she can see despite the dim lights in this bar, it's almost ethereal, it makes her chest flutter. He's quiet now and so is she and he lets the second tick by before he says something else. "Go on, ask your questions."

"Okay, Mr. Film and Literature," she teases, "What makes Casablanca so great?"

It doesn't take him long at all to go into teacher mode.

"It's an embodiment of the virtues of classical Hollywood in its earliest form. It's a beautiful marriage of the popular entertainment world and art but it isn't pretentious like most films were." He explains, "So many films and productions of that decade were penned as "artistic" despite just being a mashup of ridiculous and overzealous cliches. But this film was art in the sense that it didn't have to tell you. It just was.``

"Mhm." She nods like she has any idea what he's saying and he continues without missing a beat.

"It was revolutionary in a subtle way, it was one of the first films of that time that featured an African american in a good light." He says, "Most characters of that ethnic group back then were usually shown as hostile and aggressive, but in this, the character of Sam was a good and honest friend to the main character and actually was key to the stories development."

"That's interesting."

"It's also an iconic love story but the couple don't end up together." She lets him keep going, watching as he goes into explaining why that was and even going so far as to list all of the central themes of the film and what made it such a masterpiece in his eyes. She doesn't interrupt, she doesn't ask questions, she doesn't stop him so that he can explain something that's confusing her. She just sits and she watches and she listens to him talk thinking that she could listen to him do this for the rest of her life.

By the time he's finished she has no idea what time it is and the bar is significantly more empty than it was before.

_ -/- _

She doesn't tell anyone about their accidental but maybe on purpose meetings at the bar. She tries to tell herself it doesn't mean anything even as she replays the way he made her laugh over and over in her head every five minutes. Or how she thinks about how bright and beautiful his eyes seemed to sparkle when he talked about anything he was passionate about. 

It's like her own little secret that she gets to keep all to herself.

"No,  _ you  _ did it, remember?" Is the bright giggle that comes from his classroom as she heads for. It makes her pause momentarily before peeking inside. He's with someone, a woman, she's blonde and smiling and she's wearing a tight little dress with boots and there's an expensive coat folded over her shoulder as she leans down to look at something he's showing her. They're both smiling wide, fond smiles at each other. Clearly, Mary is intruding on something she shouldn't be seeing but then he looks up and he sees her so there's no way to run.

"Mary." He says her name like he's startled and the girl takes a step back as she straightens.

"Uh...hi." Mary says softly as she walks in slowly, a bit embarrassed that she was caught watching them like a creep. She clears her throat. "You...wanted to talk."

"Yes." He says as he stands up, there's a paper in his hand, "I sent this home with James the other day but I don't think he gave it to you or Darnley." She squints as she holds her hand out for it.

"Did something-"

"No, it's just a permission slip." He tells her with a shake of his head. He steps back when she glances at the pretty blonde standing awkwardly to the side.

"Oh, Olivia, Mary." He introduces softly, "Mary, this is Olivia."

"Hi." Olivia waves a small wave and Mary waves back with a tight smile. 

"Hi."

"Do you need a pen?" He asks but he's already handing her one. 

"What's this for?" She asks as she sets it on a desk before clicking the pen to sign.

"Museum thing next week."

"Oh." She nods as she signs it, but James didn't say anything about it and she wonders why. She doesn't say anything as she hands it back.

"Thank you."

"Is that it?" She asks softly, she's secretly hoping it isn't but she can't voice that. Not with the pretty barbie standing off to the side watching them.

"Nope, that's it." He says as he takes the paper to his desk, "Thanks."

"Alright." He doesn't even look at her as she turns to leave but she leaves the door open on her way out. It doesn't take long for their conversation to start back up as though Mary had never arrived in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop your favorite movies down below and I'll tell you if I've seen it. 
> 
> Olivia's heeerrreeeee!


	7. Chapter 7

She tries not to think about the pretty blonde who looked incredibly cozy tucked close to Francis' side. Or the way she looked at Mary when Francis was talking to her, but her head keeps going back to Olivia.

"Oh, Francis is...busy." Bash tells Kenna when Kenna brings up that they should go see a movie, get the gang together, maybe get a few drinks. She throws in a " _ we can all watch Mary stumble over her words every time Francis breathes in her direction. _ " That grants her an eye roll. 

"How do you know he's busy. We haven't even asked-"

"Because he is," Bash says quickly as though he's trying not to have to elaborate, to explain any further. Kenna just squints.

"What's more important than this budding romance?" She asks pointing a finger at Mary as Mary continues putting groceries away in her tiny kitchen.

"He's  _ with _ someone!" Bash finally snaps it. "Sorry..." 

"Why are you sorry?" Mary asks as she sets a bag down harder than she intended, "Olivia seems nice."

"He's with Olivia!?" Kenna shouts as she whirls on Bash and maybe he wasn't trying to avoid having to tell Mary that Francis was with another woman, maybe he was trying to avoid telling Kenna that the woman was Olivia. 

For whatever reason.

"Yes! Yes!" Bash exclaims as he dodges the many, many smacks Kenna slams down on him, before giving up and just desperately grabbing for her wrists to get her to stop. "Stop!"

"What...what uh...seems to be the problem?" Mary asks with a quirk of her brow and Bash shakes his head before going into an explanation.

"Olivia hit Kenna's cat..." Bash says softly, "With her car..." 

"O-oh."

"If I ever see that stupid blonde bimbo bitch again I'll gouge her eyes out with a spoon." Kenna says quietly and Mary takes a firm step back at the seriousness of her voice.

"It was an accident," Bash says dryly

" _ LIKE HELL IT WAS- _ " Kenna whirls on him again and Mary decides it's best to leave them to it. She finishes unloading her groceries and then she's wiping down the table. She doesn't have work today and it actually gives her time to clean. Her tiny home has been a mess as of late. 

"So I take it you don't like her," Mary comments as she walks by them. Kenna has calmed down some, Bash looks a little exhausted from their...whatever that was, but he sighs as he runs gentle circles to the small of Kenna's back.

"No. Murdering my baby boy Simon aside. You shouldn't either." Olivia didn't give her any cause to dislike her, other than the unreasonable jealousy she felt. She really had no reason to not like her. 

"Why?" 

"She stole your man." 

"He's not my...he's...he's not-"

"Well not with that attitude." Kenna scowls with a shakes of her head, "Bash tell her."

"Tell me what?"

"Kenna, I-"

"Francis thinks you're hot." Kenna beams as though she just told her a dirty secret and Mary cannot stop the blush from rising in her cheeks and she shakes her head as she turns to head back to her sink. She can't see Francis using that term to describe Mary. He seems too...sophisticated.

" _ No." _ Mary scoffs as she turns on the tap to run a sponge through it. The water both acts as something to help wipe down her counters and cool her down.

"He didn't word it like that!" Bash exclaims but Kenna just giggles a small giggle. 

"How did he word it?" Kenna asks before Mary can swallow the question. 

"I'm...I'm uncomfortable." 

"Baaaassssshhhh." Kenna whines when he protests.

"He said you're gorgeous." He says softly. "He said...a lot." She's all ears now but she doesn't want to give them the ammunition to tease. But she wants to know what all he said about her. She continues wiping down the counters without looking at them. 

"He said that he thinks about you a lot." Kenna fake whispers it. That makes her pause. It makes her stop. That can mean a million different things, does he think about her in an innocent  _ I wonder what Mary's doing- _ way or an  _ I wonder what Mary's wearing- _ way.

She swallows hard at the last thought, tries to calm her insides down. The thought that he might be thinking about her in any way other than innocent is making her entire body feel like it's on fire.

"Um...in...in what way?" She asks softly, slowly, face heating up at the question.

"Probably  _ every _ way," Kenna says and she hears a small smack and realizes it's Bash's hand smacking the side of Kenna's head playfully and when she turns around they both look amused and curious. 

"Every... _ position, _ " Kenna smirks wickedly with a wiggle of her brows and Mary rolls her eyes as she looks at the clock.

"That's disgusting." She breathes but she can't seem to get her throat less dry at the thought.

_ -/- _

She's sitting on a park bench with Lola later. The sun is out and the weather is strangely warm for the time of year. She thought it was a perfect day to get the kids together and have them play and Mary agreed. She smiles fondly as she watches James chase John around the playground. 

"It's nice seeing James play with someone his own age." It's nice to see him making a friend, even though the friendship started out rocky, they seem to get along great now. Lola nods in agreement. 

"I wish Francis was here." Lola hums as she shifts on the bench, "He loves playing with him."

"I hear he's busy." She says dryly, she doesn't mean for it to come out bitterly, but it does and she doesn't move to fix it.

"For a little while." She sighs, "Maybe a few days." She sounds bitter too but she's afraid to ask why. "Olivia is...ugh."

"Ugh?" 

"She comes around once a year, but she always leaves. They hook up a few times and then she just...goes back home."

"So they're not-"

"It's one of those no strings attached arrangements." Lola shrugs.

"And you're fine with it?" She questions. She wouldn't be fine, the first time James catches a woman in her underwear prancing around the kitchen in the middle of the night, she would have some strong language in store for the man.

"So long as he keeps it away from John." She tells her, "I can't have someone temporarily entering his life like that only to leave in the dead of night." Mary doesn't say anything but she understands so she nods, "Everybody has needs."

"Ew."

"You say ew now but wait till you're the one in his bed." Lola jokes and she shakes her head, "Hey, I'm just saying."

"Does he have a really good mattress?" She asks, she's mostly joking, she knows what she meant.

"Nah, but he's got a really good-"

"Mom!" John calls from on top of the large yellow slide and Lola slaps on a wide smile as she waves back at him. She's never been more thankful for a child's interruption.

"Olivia doesn't seem that bad." Then again, what does she know? Mary only met her for two seconds. Lola has probably known her for years.

"She plays him like a fiddle." Lola says bitterly, "She tells him she loves him and she wants to be with him for real but then after a few nights, she leaves him with empty promises." That's...that's sad. She feels for him, but if it's been happening for a long time then maybe he's the one who can't seem to let go. At some point, he has to cut her out, put his foot down. He's so kind and sweet and genuinely just a great guy and this Olivia girl is using him.

"He loves her back?"

"To an extent." Lola shrugs, "I think he romanticizes her, he hopes every time will be the time that she really stays. But she never does and then he's depressed for weeks."

"Oh..."

"I think it'll change soon." She says, "One day he won't feel like he needs her." She sighs, "And that's where you come in."

"Uh-"

"Olivia will come back in a year's time and he'll slam the door in her face because he's in love with yooouuu." She can't tell if she's joking but she's learned at this point she probably isn't. So, she just shakes her head and continues watching the boys play.

_ -/- _

"Would you like to petition for full custody?" Her lawyer asks her over the phone.

"No. I don't want to take him away from Darnley." Mary says softly, almost begrudgingly. She vented to the woman about Darnley's habit of forgetting to pick up James every other weekend and now the topic of custody keeps coming up. She knows this is hard for him, for all of them, and she doesn't want to make this process more painful than it is. She'll have to talk to him about the occasional flaking, but she won't do anything too drastic. 

"I'll make a note of it." Her lawyer says softly when she picks up on the reluctance in Mary's voice and she hears the click of a pen and some scribbling a moment later. "He's still on board with the divorce?"

"Last I checked."

"So it shouldn't be too difficult to get him to sign."

"No."

"Good." She says and they run through a few more questions. Visitation, their finances, what Darnley wants to keep and what Mary wants to keep. She makes a few demands that her lawyer will discuss with Darnley's and then Darnley will make a few and she'll call to discuss it at a later date. They're trying to keep this from having to go to a court, a judge, and so far it's been smooth. 

A few bumps on Darnley's end but they were usually so small they hardly mattered.

"What about alimony?"

"I hadn't even thought about it..." Mary says honestly, it's a good option, she would like to _ not _ have to work two jobs to make ends meet. "I'm not sure if he'll go for it."

"We can discuss numbers for now, settle on something you're comfortable with and then I'll run it by his lawyer tomorrow."

"Okay." She nods as she runs her hands over her face. She glances at the clock in her office, "I have to pick James up soon. Can I call you later?"

"Of course."

"Great." 

The parking lot is just emptying by the time she gets to the school and she walks slowly up the hall towards his classroom. She finds James and John in the hall, a ball being passed from one side to the other.

"What...what are you guys doing?" Mary quirks a curious brow but John just puts a finger to his lips to shush her and that's when she hears it.

"It was five minutes,  _ if  _ that." Francis snaps it, he sounds exhausted and she knows that she shouldn't be listening but she really can't help it.

"I don't care how long it was, Francis, I told you I didn't want her around our son!" Lola snaps back with just as much venom as he did and Mary frowns as she looks at John. He doesn't look that bothered as he rolls the ball back to James.

"I don't understand what the big deal is."

"The big deal? Francis-"

"She isn't as bad as you think."

"Oh, you say that now but what about in a week when she leaves?" Lola asks, " _ Again _ ."

"She isn't going to."

"Forgive for not believing you, I wonder why I don't.  _ Oh, that's right _ , you've said it dozens of times." Lola's voice reaches an almost shout and Mary sighs a small sigh. She doesn't know what to do, does she knock? Would they even notice? She turns to the boys.

"Why don't we go to the playground?" She suggests and the boys' nod as James picks up the ball and they head out.

It's how they end up outside. Mary has kicked off her shoes despite the cold and is now running with them. They kick the big rubber ball back and forth as they laugh and giggle. 

She’s sweating despite the chill in the air as she unsuccessfully dodges a tag from John and then she's racing after James. 

"I got you!" Mary giggles when she catches James and spins him around in her arms. She's thankful for the red in her cheeks already being there because she feels a blush coming when she sees she's being watched. Francis is looking at her like he believes she'll one day walk on water and Lola smirks as she waves at her.

"Uh..." Mary starts as she walks over, picking up her shoes as she crosses the grass with the two boys in tow. "I figured they didn't want to...hang out in the hall while you guys were-"

"You heard that?" Lola cringes.

"I'm ninety-five percent certain everyone did." She says, "Everyone still here at least."

"Thank you." Francis says after an awkward silence, "And sorry you had to hear that..."

"I didn't...I wasn't..." she swallows, she's trying to say she wasn't listening but they both know that she was. She shakes her head as she watches James and John kick the ball back and forth some more. "It's fine you should hear me and Darnley."

"I'm gonna go...check on John," Lola says with a not so subtle nudge to Mary's back so she can take her place next to Francis. It's quiet after that as she folds her coat over her arm and attempts to shove her heels back on her feet without falling over.

"You're going to break an ankle." Francis after he's fed up with watching her struggle and he reaches to hold her arm tightly so she doesn't fall. She tries not to freak out at the gesture, even as her fingers hold onto him.

Lola sees because of course, she does. She gives Mary a big thumbs up and Mary shoots back with a glare before the girl is turning back to the kids.

"Thank you for including John." Francis said once she's all done, he does step back, "He's very shy and he doesn't have a lot of friends."

"No problem." Mary nods as she tucks a strand of her hair back when it falls from her bun. It's windy and she was really giving their game her all, she hasn't run that hard in years. And she did it in a tight skirt, she should get a medal for not bursting a lung or breaking her leg.

"James is like that too." She tells him but she suspects he already knows because he just nods, "Where's Olivia?" She immediately regrets the question when it wipes whatever hint of a smile there was off his face.

"Busy." He says and that's all he says about it but she can see that it's bothering him. It isn't her place though, so she doesn't say anything else.

"The rugrats would like pizza for dinner," Lola says as she strolls over to them.

"Both of them?"

"If that's okay..." Lola gives them both a questioning look and Mary looks at Francis.

"You didn't have any plans, did you?" 

"Uh..." Mary thinks for a second and then shakes her head, "No...We can get pizza...together." Lola smiles a wide smile at that as she calls the kids back over.

_ -/- _

Julien  _ conveniently _ texts Lola when they get to the pizza place. Something _ conveniently _ happened that she  _ needs _ to take care of. This leaves Mary and Francis, and their kids, but the two of them are  _ alone. _

_ Again _ .

"I'll come and get John later," Lola promises before she abandons them when they get a table. It's one of those  _ build it yourself  _ places. One large pizza with whatever the kids want on it, which is dangerous, really because they come back with a concoction Gordan Ramsay would have a heart attack over. 

"Gummy bears?" Mary questions when they join them at the table. "And...what's that?" She points at something colorful on the pizza, placed under a pepperoni. 

"I don't know." James says honestly, "I think sprinkles." The boys are happy with their choice but Mary and Francis notably just pick instead of eating.

"We probably should have supervised," Francis comments when the kids are finished and have gone to the arcade in the back for a few minutes of fun before having to go home.

"Maybe." She hums, "But they're having fun." She hasn't seen James smile this much in a long time and it makes the horrific cuisine worth it.

"I...wanted to apologize about the other day," Francis says suddenly as he leans back in his seat. Ah, when he pretended he barely knew her and was short until she left. 

"You don't have to-"

"I was short with you." He says, "And I'm sorry."

"It's really fine." She says softly. "You were busy, I should have just called ahead." He nods at that but doesn't say more about it and she'd be lying if she said this wasn't a tiny bit awkward.

"How are things? Darnley hasn't really been by to get James from school."

"Uh, he's actually been going to a lot of meetings." She tells him, and he has. He's a lot better than he was, not  _ let's work this out  _ better, but better.

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"And you're good?" 

"A little tired but...fine." She shrugs, "You?"

"Tired as well." She's noticed he's slower than usual like every movement requires too much energy. There are dark circles under his eyes and she wonders if something is troubling him or if Olivia has been  _ keeping him up. _

"You and Lola...were...pretty heated earlier, everything okay?"

"Yeah." He says on a heavy sigh, "She just overreacts sometimes." He tells her, "She just worries. I try not to let it bother me."

"I...get it." She says softly as she leans back in her seat to try and think of something else for them to talk about. This feels like a date, an odd one, but what are two people with children to do? 

"Mary."

"Hm?"

"Do you want to split the bill?" He asks her and maybe it isn't a date, maybe she's too hopeful. He is with someone at the moment.   
_ Unfortunately. _

_ -/- _

Another day, another pick-up. She shows up late again but she's beginning to think that Francis doesn't mind and with James' growing bond with John, she doesn't think the boys mind all that much either. 

"Hey." The harsh snap makes her turn around and she finds Darnley is headed straight for her with something in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" She questions as he approaches, "I'm picking up James to-"

"Sole custody?" He snaps, "You can't take our son from me." 

"What are you talking about?"

"I found  _ this _ ," he shoves the paper to her chest with a hard push and she grabs it as she steps back, "How long have you been planning it? Hm?" She squints at the papers as she flips through them. It's a petition to have Mary be granted full guardianship over James, Darnley is cited as being unreliable and dangerous to the wellbeing of his child. 

She didn't authorize this. She merely mentioned it in passing, and she told her she didn't want to petition him. So why-

"I didn't-"

"Bullshit, Mary!" He shouts it like he's disgusted with her as he takes another step towards her, until he's right up against her and then he's grabbing hold of her arms in something painful. That's when she smells it, the alcohol on his breath. God, this must have thrown him right back into his spiral and he was doing so well.

"Darnley-" She whimpers as she sucks in a breath, she's praying James doesn't come down here. That he doesn't see. "You have to calm down-"

"Calm- Calm down!? Like  _ hell _ I will Mary, you're trying to take my son away from me-"

"Hey!" This voice is harsher, louder and she hears the soft click of heels heading rapidly for them and then there it is. A blonde head sticking herself right between them. "You need to leave." Olivia says as she gives Darnley a hard shove back. 

"I-"

" _ Now. _ " She warns and she doesn't seem like the type of girl anyone would want to piss off. She isn't scared of Darnley and she's looking at him like she'll drop him right here.

"Fine." He says, "But this isn't over." He tells her before he turns to leave and Mary stays frozen there until he disappears down the hall and she releases the breath she was holding.

"Are you alright?" Olivia asks softly when she turns to her, her expression has softened now. Mary nods.

"I...I need to get my son."

"Okay," Olivia says softly before she wraps an arm around Mary's back, almost protectively.

They're halfway there before Francis is approaching them.

"What the hell happened?" He asks when he sees the state Mary is in. She's shaking now with tearful eyes, "I heard shouting."

"Took you long enough." Olivia almost snaps it, "She's okay."

"It was nothing," Mary says softly when she's in his classroom and Olivia has successfully distracted the kids with a book in the corner of the room.

"You're shaking." Francis says as he takes a seat next to her, "That doesn't seem like nothing."

"Francis-"

"Are you alright?" He asks it so softly, gently, almost tenderly. "Can you go home?" He's asking if she feels _safe_ enough to take James and her home, if she thinks Darnley is going to show up. But where else is she supposed to go? Darnley knows where everyone she knows lives, is Francis planning on taking them home with him? The way he's looking at her is making her angrier than it should. He looks like he feels sorry for her.  _ Poor Mary _ . She doesn't need his pity. 

Darnley is just upset about the petition, the petition that wasn't even supposed to be given to him. This is all a misunderstanding. Once he calms down, everything will be fine.

"Mary-" She jumps when his fingers almost find hers and she stands quickly.

"James, it's time to go." She says with a look over her shoulder at the boy who's sitting next to the pretty blonde. 

"Can we finish the book?" He asks.

"No." Mary doesn't mean to sound so harsh and she takes a step back when Francis attempts to approach her. James doesn't argue as he gathers his things quickly and then he's heading out in the hall to wait. 

"Wait-" He seems desperate to keep her here but she doesn't want to be here, she wants to go home. Mary turns sharply when he follows her to the door.

"I don't need you to worry about me." She snaps it, harsh and kind of cruel and she sees Olivia frown as she watches in the corner of her eye.

_ -/- _

There are bruises in the shapes of his fingers where he grabbed her earlier. They aren't terrible and she can easily keep them covered with a blazer. She finishes combing through the wet tangles of her hair, mirrors still fogged from her shower and her phone buzzes on the counter.

**Bash:** " _ Francis told me to check on you. _ " She rolls her eyes, of course, he did.

**Bash:** " _ Did something happen?? _ "

**Mary:** " _ Darnley was being an ass today. It's fine. _ "

He doesn't text back, he just calls her then.

"Did he touch you?" Bash's voice is almost demanding and she knows if she tells him the truth that he'll take care of Darnley in his own way. She can't have that.

"No." She lies.

"Are you lying?"

"No."

"Mary-"

"It's fine. We just argued." She tells him as she walks out of the bathroom to head down the hall to her room. She checks to make sure James is still sleeping and is delighted to find that he is.

"It wasn't like a month ago? I swear to God-" he's saying and she just stops because she didn't tell him about that night. When Darnley was drunk and he tried to...

She didn't tell  _ anyone  _ about that, just her mom during an angry rant.

"I should have killed him then-"

"How do you know about that?" She asks softly, standing in the dark hallway with her heart in her throat. " _ Bash _ ."

He doesn't say anything and now her blood feels like it's starting to boil. It isn't his business and it certainly isn't  _ right _ for him to tell people. 

"He just wanted-"

"I don't care what he wanted." She snaps, "It's none of his business!"

"Mary-" she hangs up on Bash and is quickly dialing another number as she stomps to her room and closes the door with as soft a click as she can manage.

"Hello?" Francis sounds tired and it is late, she wonders if she caught him in bed.

"Did you tell Bash what Darnley did?" She asks on a snap, "A month ago and today-"

"So he  _ did _ do something."

"Francis." She hisses. "It's none of your concern."

"Mary, it happened on school grounds." He says, "A mere feet away from my classroom."

"I-"

"I was worried." He says softly.

"He wouldn't hurt James."

"Would he hurt you?" He asks like he already knows the answer and with the evidence staring him in the face as of late, she can't blame him for coming to that conclusion."I know that he wouldn't hurt James, I believe you on that, but I think he would hurt you. I think he would have a month ago if James hadn't come in, I think he would have today if Olivia hadn't intervened. I think he could tomorrow or a week from now. Tell me I'm wrong."

" _ You _ sent the petition." She whispers it and he falls silent and now, now, she feels sick. He did it to help and he only succeeded in making this  _ worse _ . Darnley was doing well before, now he's spiraling again because he thinks he's going to lose James and it turns out  _ Francis _ was the one who-

She takes a deep breath, a hard swallow before she speaks again.

"From now on I think I'll be having my mother pick up James. You are his teacher, that's it. Stay away from me and keep your nose out of my  _ personal _ business." 

"Mary-"

"Tell your girlfriend I said thank you for today but I don't need a bodyguard or a babysitter." She hangs up after that and crawls into bed feeling like her stomach will never untwist.


	8. Chapter 8

"I don't want to talk about it." She says it again when Aylee brings it up. Mary has just finished wiping down the tables and chairs, turning the sign on the door to open and has joined the two girls back behind the counter.

"I just think you were a little too hard on him." She says gently, her voice is sweet and not at all condescending. "He was trying to help."

"He didn't." Mary almost snaps it and feels terrible almost immediately when she sees the corners of Aylee's mouth dip at the bite. "He made it worse."

"Darnley was just taken by surprise is all."

"He's not even talking to me." She says softly, he picks up James when he needs to, says hello if he has to, but other than that he hasn't said much. Not to her face at least. "We're meeting at the courthouse tomorrow."

"He'll have to talk to you then."

"Not necessarily," Greer mumbles from the back and Mary glares at her as she tightens her apron. "I'm just saying."

"Thanks for saying."

"Hey, you're one step closer to your divorce." Greer smiles, "Yaaayy!"

"If things go smoothly."

"They will. Especially since he isn't talking to you." Mary doesn't say anything, she just goes about turning machines on and wiping down more counters. It's quiet for the most part and they work in silence as they wait for customers to stroll into the coffee house. 

The bell rings and Mary looks up to see Olivia is walking in. 

"Oh. You work here?" She questions when their eyes meet.

"Only occasionally." She tells her softly. Olivia smiles a small smile and there's an awkward tension around them now. She doesn't know why. Is it because of Darnley or because Mary bit Francis' head off the last time she saw her? Olivia sighs as she drums her nails on the counter like she's thinking. She's wearing a black dress and heels, tights underneath and a black coat. Her hair is piled up in a tight bun and she wears very little makeup.

Not that she needs it, she's freaking  _ gorgeous. _

Mary thinks she's dressed like she's going to a funeral, but she doesn't say anything.

"What can I get you?" Mary asks and she tries to keep her voice polite as she watches Olivia skim the menu.

"Just a small caramel macchiato and a ' _ Please apologize to Francis _ ' to go." Oh, the nerve.

"Well, I can get you one of those." Mary says dryly as she scribbles on a notepad, "The other isn't being offered today, so sorry."

"I'm willing to pay extra."

"Why do you care?" Mary asks harshly, and in hindsight maybe she should be more polite, she's just trying to help it seems. But Olivia, while semi-decent, she gets the feeling she has some hidden agenda under that nice girl attitude. 

"He likes you." She shrugs. 

"Aren't you...like...you know-"

"Not exclusive." She smirks and then she gasps, "Oh can I get a bagel?"

"...Sure."

"Yay." She claps her hands together and Mary tries not to smile at the way this girl's face lights up. "It's been a day."

"I get it." She laughs softly. Mary certainly has had those days, she rings her up and gets her order together and Olivia looks back before she leaves. 

"I'll tell Francis you said hi."

"Please don't."

"Oi, Francis!" Olivia shouts as she opens the door, "Mary says hi!" 

He's out there!?  _ Fantastic. _ She rolls her eyes as she leaves and gets back to work.

_ -/- _

Darnley is quiet when she enters the conference room in the courthouse. Her lawyer is already seated at the table across from her husband, his sits next to him.

"Sorry, I'm late." She says softly as she sits down.

"Maybe I should petition you for full custody," Darnley mumbles and she rolls her eyes.

"It wasn't me."

"No, it was just your boyfriend."

"My what?" She questions, face twists at that. Is he talking about Francis? They aren't-

"Let's just get this started," Penny says before Mary can even address  _ that _ . Then she's opening her folders and handing each of them copies of something official.

"No, I'm not doing that!" Darnley snaps when they suggest granting Mary temporary full custody of James. 

"It's just for a few months." She says, "Until you're-"

"If you say sober, Mary, I swear to god." 

"Sober." She finishes anyways, watching as Darnley pulls at his curls and sighs heavily and there's something odd about him, something different. He's more animated than he used to be, shaking like he downed a whole lot of heavily caffeinated coffee and then added espresso on top. She squints. 

"No." He snaps as he slams his hand down on the table, making them all jump. Even Knox looks confused as he glances with a curious eye before putting a hand on his client's shoulder.

"Darnley-"

"You know what, it's too stuffy in here." He says quickly as he stands

"Darnley, sit back down," Knox says as they watch him.

"No." He shakes his head, "Mary, what do you hope to gain by taking our son from me? Hm? You're hardly even home, who's going to watch him?" 

"I-"

"You're just going to leave him at school until the sun goes down? Is that even allowed? Or is Francis just bending the rules for you in exchange for a bit of  _ fun _ ?" He snarls it and she stands up now, angry. He's not acting right, something is wrong with him. 

"Excuse me?"

"I said what I said." He snaps.

"Maybe we should do this another day..." Penny suggests as she looks between them, Knox seems to agree. Which is weird because usually, he likes to sit back and watch them go for each other's throats. 

"No, I want to do this now."

"Can we have the room?" Mary asks softly.

"Are you sure?" Penny asks with a cautious eye. She nods, Darnley won't do anything, not here at least. The two give them the room and once the door is closed she turns back to a pacing Darnley. He isn't talking, he just looks agitated and the anger she was feeling is now set aside for her concern.

"Darnley." She says gently as she approaches him. "Darnley, what's going on?" He doesn't say anything he just keeps pacing and pacing and pacing. He's shaking his head now and she realizes what it is.

He's  _ high _ .

"What did you take?" She asks softly as she gently grabs his arm, "Look at me."

"You can't take my son away."

"I-"

"Please." He seems desperate and there are tears in the corner of his eyes and she squints at him when he looks at her. 

"Where is James?" She asks, she assumes he's with his mother. She flew down a few days ago but her heart picks up because _ this isn't right _ . "Darnley-"

"At home."

"Is someone with him?" She asks softly, a little bit demanding and Darnley stops pacing now and he just looks at her with wide eyes. "Oh my god." 

He's alone.

Darnley left an eight-year-old alone. She's pulling her phone out of her pocket with shaking fingers. He's just a little boy and he's all alone and who knows what state Darnley left the house in. He's back to pacing and whispering to himself and Mary watches him as the phone rings.

"Yes?" Bash answers in something soft.

"I...I need you to go to the house." She says urgently, "Darnley's. Now."

"What's going on?" His voice isn't as soft now and he sounds worried.

"I'm taking him to the hospital, James is alone. Go get him, don't let him out of your sight I will call you later."

"He left him alone!?"

"Bash please-"

"I'm going, I'm going." He says quickly and she hears the soft jingle of keys and an urgent call for Kenna. She doesn't know where he is right now but she hopes that he's close.

"Darnley." She's trying to call home back to reality when he sits with his head in his hands and is now moving less fast.

"I didn't mean to-"

"I know." She says soothingly as she reaches to rub his back in something caring. Even though her blood is boiling, she needs to help him.

"Please don't take him away."

"We need to go to the hospital, okay? We can talk later." She says gently and he looks at her like he's devastated before nodding.

_ -/- _

They sedated him. She doesn't even know why but he was running a very high fever and was actively losing his mind.

Also, the man threw up in her car which was absolutely wonderful, she's going to  _ love _ cleaning that up. She can't get the gloves on  _ fast enough _ , she's so  _ excited _ .

The doctor says he took something, was near an overdose and she isn't as surprised as she should be. Usually, Darnley's only vice was strong liquor, but she's been putting him through hell these last few weeks. The petition must have thrown him over the edge. Bash has James, said he was a little shaken up about waking to find himself alone but other than that he was fine.

She can't help but wonder where Lynn went if she was supposed to stay with James. She's not answering her phone and she thinks the apple doesn't fall far from the damn tree.

"I'm taking him to Johns," Bash says over the phone.

"With Lola or Francis?"

"Fran-"

"No."

"Mary-"

"I don't need him interfering with anything else." She says through gritted teeth. "Just take him home."

"I won't tell him what happened." Bash says gently, softly, "He...James needs his friend." It isn't John's fault, she shouldn't punish him too and she sighs heavily as she runs her hand through her hair.

"Fine, but don't tell Francis anything."

"Scouts honor."

Darnley doesn't wake for a few hours, he's confused when his eyes flutter open and since he's sober, she doesn't feel bad about what she's about to do.

"Proud of yourself?" She asks and he just squints like he doesn't know what she's talking about. "You left our child  _ alone _ . For hours, Darnley."

"Oh."

"Oh? Is that all you're going to say?"

"I'm sorry."

"Great." She snaps, "Our little boy is traumatized but at least you're sorry."

"Mary-"

"I set you up with a six-month stay at a lovely drug rehabilitation center and since you almost died on the way here, it's mandatory."

"What-"

"Before you leave you'll sign the divorce papers and a temporary wave of parental rights."

"Now, wait-"

"I am  _ not _ done." She snaps, "It lasts for a year. Once you're out you will be allowed heavily supervised visitation with our son once a week. You will have regular pop up drug tests, if you even  _ look _ at a bottle of tequila I'm going to know about it and I can extend the parental rights as long as I want if I feel like you're using again."

"Mary, are you serious?"

"Very." She nods and he looks, well he looks pissed as his head hits the pillow with a groan. "Knox already signed."

"What?"

"It was either that or throw you in prison with a beautiful child endangerment charge. Also, driving under the influence, abuse of narcotics-"

"Mary."

"-assault." She adds softly

" _Assault?!_ "

"Did you forget how you shoved your tongue down my throat a little over a month ago after I kept saying no?" She asks with a quirk of her brow, she shakes her head. "You're lucky James isn't hurt." She says softly as she grabs her coat and her purse. "I'll be back tomorrow for your signature." She mutters as she leaves.

_ -/- _

She gets halfway to her car when she realizes she doesn't know his address. So she pulls out her phone and calls him as she gets in her car.

"Where do you live?"

"In a house," Francis answers dryly and she rolls her eyes.

"I need to get James."

"Oh, I know." He says, "Surprised you even let him come over. Didn't think you'd want him hanging out with his teacher."

"Francis."

"Can I give him dinner or is that overstepping some boundaries? I'm not really sure what the rules are here." She rolls her eyes again as she starts the car.

"Dinner is fine." She says through clenched teeth as she runs her hand over her eyes and sighs heavily. 

"Wonderful."

"What. Is. Your. Address?"

"I'll send it to you." He says, "Oh, try not to get carried away, I don't want to upset you by letting you stay too long."

"For the love of-"

"Can I ask what happened today or is that overstepping too? I mean, I don't know about you but I think you'd want to know why I suddenly thrust John upon you in the middle of the afternoon with little explanation." He says, "Not that it hasn't been fun, James is a well-mannered kid. Oh, I've kept my distance, no need to worry about that."

She's going to strangle this man if he doesn't provide her with his place of residence. 

" _ Okay. _ Point made." She says softly, "I just want to get my son."

"I'll see you soon."

He lives in a small gated community and his house is bigger than she expected. The Teacher's salary must have changed or he's doing  _ something  _ on the side because this is...

She climbs the steps to the porch that wraps around the house, the wind chimes dance in the breeze and she knocks on the large wooden door. 

"There you are." He says when he opens it, "Thought for sure you got lost."

"Haha." She says dryly, "Where is James?"

"Just finishing up." He tells her, "Are you hungry? I have plenty."

"Nope."

"Would you like to come in?" Francis asks, "Oh, right. Boundaries." 

"Please shut up."

"Make me." He says that with a smirk and there's something playful hidden there. She swallows when her insides do that stupid little dance they do when he looks at her like  _ that _ . 

"It's like you really believe I won't deck you right here."

"In front of my child?"

"I'll have him close his eyes."

"Oh okay." He nods. She tightens her coat as the wind picks up, shivers a little against it. "Still don't want to come in?"

"Nope." She says quickly and he falls quiet as he watches her.

"James, your mom is here!" He calls over his shoulder.

"Okay!" She hears him shout back. 

"Take your time," Francis tells him as he leans against the door frame. He folds his arms over his chest, "Kids can be quite slow." He fake whispers it and she rolls her eyes as she stands there freezing her ass off.

He seems content with watching her, a satisfied smirk still on his lips. 

"See any good movies lately?" He asks after a while and she shakes her head.

"Is Olivia here?" She asks harshly.

"She went home." He tells her, "This morning."

"Sorry to hear that." She says, "Your bed must be quite cold."

"Oh look at you. Who's overstepping now?" He teases. 

"No more than you."

"With good intentions. What are yours?" He tilts his head like he's eager to know. She doesn't say anything as she shoves her hands in her pockets.

"Good intentions?  _ You _ threatened to have my son taken away."

"I threatened to have him taken from Darnley, not you."

"Same thing."

"Oh hush." He says with a smirk because it isn't the same thing. Mary isn't Darnley and oh if he knew what happened today.

She takes a step closer.

"Make. Me." She challenges just like he did earlier and he doesn't say anything, he just keeps eye contact. She's sure the air between them sizzles, the electricity is almost too much to bear. He breaks the eye contact and his eyes flick down to her lips.

"Mom!" James shouts excitedly, breaking them both out of it and Francis notably takes a  _ few  _ steps back as James launches himself in her arms.

"Hey!" She smiles, "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Do you have everything?" James nods and she swallows hard when she looks back at Francis with an awkward smile. "Thank you."

"No problem." He says and it's honest, he isn't teasing or messing with her. The air is awkward now and she starts to pull her keys out of her pocket. "Have a nice night." He says quickly and the door shuts just as quickly after that.

_ -/- _

She's pretty sure he was going to kiss her. He was going to put his mouth in her mouth, maybe hold her against him. Maybe press her against the door if the kids weren't there.

She doesn't know if she wants that.  _ Yes, you do you dirty liar. _ Her mind teases and she groans. She thinks he does too. He has to, with the way he was looking at her, it's like he was daring her to make the first move. Maybe Monday, after school when James is safe in the hall.

She knows where he lives now, she could sneak o-  _ No. You are better than that. _

It doesn't stop her from thinking about it. About him kissing her, about running her fingers through his hair; which looks  _ ridiculously _ soft, about his hands on her skin.  _ Stop. It. _

And Olivia is gone apparently. But for how long? They're not exclusive, she said it herself. But he is in love with her, Lola told her that. She also said he gets very sad when she leaves, he didn't seem too heartbroken over it today.

_ Because he wants you. _ No. No, he doesn't.

Yes he does.

_ No _ .

Yes.

_ Maybe _ .

She presses her pillow against her face and screams into it.  _ This. Suuucckkkss. _

"Mom?" James' voice makes her jump and she sees his little frame standing by her bed. He's looking at her like he's concerned but mildly curious.

"Yes?" She questions as she removes the pillow quickly. 

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking." She suggests. He doesn't have to know about  _ what _ . Surely not about his teacher, his frustrating, beautiful, stupid teacher.

James doesn't say anything, he just climbs in the bed and curls up in her side.

"Am I going to see again?" He asks softly. Oh, she needs to talk to him about that. 

"Yeah." She nods, "But he has to go away for a little while, bud."

"Why?"

"He's...sick." she tells him slowly, "And he needs to get better."

"Is he gonna die?"

"No." She tells him gently, "He's going to be fine, I promise." James is quiet after that and she is too. 

"Mom."

"Hm?"

"Do you like Mr. V?" He asks and her eyebrows shoot up at that. She blinks.

"Um. How uh...what?"

"Is he your friend?"

"Uuuh-"

"You guys always talk for a really long time."

"Um. Well." She clears her throat, "He's- he is...nice...a nice guy." And she's pretty sure she's in love with him but that's neither here nor there.

"Hm."

"Hm."

"John says you're mad at him."

"Uhhhhh-"

"But we don't know why." Oh God, she gave birth to a tiny detective, she is being interrogated by an  _ eight-year-old. _ She wonders if the two have a good cop bad cop routine. 

"I...well, grown-up stuff."

"If you're not friends does that mean I can't be friends with John?"

"You can be friends with John..."

"Okay."

"Glad we covered that."

"Me too." He pauses, "By grown-up stuff do you mean like when you and dad used to play games?" He asks softly and her eyes blow wide. That's what they said when he would catch them...

_ Well _ .

She suddenly cannot remember how to form words.

"I...I...nope...no, sir." She stutters with her hands over her face. She wonders if John asks Francis the same stuff but John is shy and he might not. She cannot be the only one suffering though. She clears her throat again. "No games being played here. Nope." He giggles at her antics as she shakes her head quickly enough to make herself dizzy.

"He likes games."

"I am...I am sure he does, dude." She says softly, "Time for bed." She says quickly when he goes to throw another question at her, "You can sleep here with me."

"Okay."

"Great." She says softly as he settles in and she tucks the blanket around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same, James, same. IT’S ON NOW BUDDY


	9. Chapter 9

She has avoided Francis at all costs. She stayed true to her word that she would have her mother pick up James from school if she was running late. On the days that she did have to, she would wait in the hall for her son to come out. It seems to be working, she hasn't run into him since that day at his house when he almost kissed her. Or seemed like he would. 

Darnley has been gone now for two weeks, she calls to check up on him every few days and he seems to be doing well. He even thanked her for forcing him to go into rehab, he hopes that, rocky marriage aside, they could at least be friendly with each other for James' sake. 

Bash is notably quiet as she flips through a book on her couch but he keeps looking at her every now and again.

"What?" She questions when she catches him looking.

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"Have you talked to him yet?" He asks on a sigh.

"Who?"

"You know who." He squints at her and she shakes her head.

"Nope."

"Mary-"

"No, not you too." She whines. Why does everyone keep hounding her about Francis, can she go one day without hearing about him? This is what she gets for hanging out with his freaking brother.

"I'm just asking-"

"Well, stop."

"He was just trying to help." Bash tells her, "And it worked in the end. Look at what happened."

"Darnley could have died."

"Still wouldn't be married to him right now."

"Bash-"

"I just think you should talk to him." He says, "Maybe apologize."

"I'm not apologizing. He had no right." She snaps, "He should apologize for overstepping."

"Yes, Francis should apologize for the overstepping that lead to you finally getting your divorce and lead to Darnley getting the help that he needed. So wrong, how dare he?"

"I'm not talking about this with you."

"Right. You shouldn't be talking to me about this." And they've circled back, Mary just shakes her head as she goes back to her book. "He misses you." She rolls her eyes. He can't miss her, they were  _ barely _ even friends.

"He can call."

"I will let him know-"

" _ Don't _ ."

"Well now you're just sending out mixed signals."

"Bash." She breathes, "I don't want to talk to him." She knows it's a lie, she went from seeing him almost every day to not seeing him at all and that's a shame. She enjoyed looking at him. Besides it would be weird with how they left things. She's ninety percent sure he would have kissed her if James hadn't swooped in at the last second. She tries not to think about it, the way he looked at her. How he teased and seemed to be enjoying the taunting, the way his eyes flicked down to her lips for just a second before he turned away. 

It's all she really thinks about if she's honest and it's making it very hard to stay mad at him.

Bash doesn't say anything else, he just goes back to flipping through channels on the television. 

_ -/- _

She's a little annoyed that he called her down here like she can just drop whatever she's doing to go to him. His door is open when she approaches and she gives herself a mental shake before she crosses the threshold. 

"What?" She asks it a bit harshly, James isn't even here, he was picked up by her mother over an hour ago. 

"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Francis says as he leans back in his chair, "You can come closer."

"I am fine where I am."

"It's gonna make signing this pretty difficult." he hums and she takes a few cautionary steps before stopping in front of his desk, he quirks a brow and she rolls her eyes before rounding the corner to place herself next to him.

She makes sure to keep enough distance so she doesn't break out in a sweat.

"You summoned?" She says sweetly, hands folding in front of her.

"I suppose I did." 

"What is so pressing that it couldn't wait?"

"Just need your signature on a few forms."

"And you didn't send them with James because?"

"Must have slipped my mind." He says with a tsk, "Here you go." He taps something on his desk but she notices that he doesn't just hand it over. She sighs before sliding it closer to her and he hands her a pen. 

"No John?" She questions.

"If I can't know your personal business, you can't know mine, Ms. Stuart." He says it formally, like she's just some other mom he needs a signature from. He probably sent the other kids home with them. She doesn't have a retort for that so she just shakes her head as she leans down to sign.

"Where do I-"

"Right there." He says as he leans over too, he points out the dotted line, "And another on the back." She signs as quick as she can because he's very close to her and good god, he smells fantastic. 

"There."

"Ah, thank you." He smiles a satisfied little smile as he takes the form and the pen from her. "Oh, you can go now." He says.

"Gladly." She huffs as she grabs her purse and heads for the door. 

"Hey, Mary."

"What?"

"Nice necklace." He calls as she leaves. It takes her an embarrassingly long time for her to realize he wasn't looking at her  _ necklace _ . 

She gets out before the blush can consume her. 

_ -/- _

The next few days are uneventful and she actually ends up with John over with James. She watches from the kitchen as they play Mario Kart with Kenna.

"John, don't forget to get everything your mom will be here soon." She calls and he sends back an okay before going back to the game with a giggle. The hours tick by and starts to get worried because Lola isn't here yet. The kids have resorted to watching a movie, Kenna squished between them as they share a bowl of popcorn.

"She's probably fine." Kenna assures her as Mary peers out the window, "Everybody runs late. You're not exactly punctual."

"Kenna."

"Oh, that wasn't meant to be insulting." She says softly as she turns back to the movie.

The knock on the door thrusts her out of her worry and she breathes a sigh of relief as she opens it.

"Oh  _ come on _ ." She groans when she sees that it is not Lola.

It's freaking  _ Francis _ . He just gives her one of those sly smirks as he stands to wait.

"Not who you were expecting."

"I've never been more disappointed in my life."

"I could say so many things right now." He jokes, "But I won't."

"Wouldn't want you to overstep."

"Oh, I've done my fair share of that." He sighs, "Where is my son?"

"The couch." She says and he peeks over her shoulder, waving at Kenna who is not being subtle in her spying in the least. 

"Hello, Kenna." He smiles a small smile at her friend and she almost, _almost_ slams the door in his face. "John make sure you get everything, okay?" He tells the boy who has appeared at Mary's side. John nods before he goes about gathering his things. 

"How is your evening?" Francis asks.

"It  _ was _ fine."

"Was?"

"Yup." She says with a smack of her lips.

"What are you watching?"

"Up."

"Good choice."

"Have you seen it?"

"I have an eight-year-old, of course."

"Well, you never know. Since you're more a silent film kind of guy." She says dryly and he tilts his head.

"Are you attacking my taste in entertainment?"

"Not attacking." She says, "Just judging harshly."

"Wow, low blow." He laughs a breathy laugh though as he shifts on his feet. There's no doubt that this is awkward. The almost kiss, the necklace comment, the way they've been dancing around each other for weeks now. They're quiet but they don't take their eyes off of each other. 

"Thank you for allowing John to come over."

"No problem." She says softly and she means that. John is a good kid, a little quiet, but he's a delight.

"Maybe one day they could have a sleepover." Kenna almost chokes at that and Mary glances over her shoulder to see her friend turning quickly back to the television.

"Maybe." John comes back with his things and he says goodbye to James and Kenna. Mary closes the door as they leave.

Kenna basically drags her to the other room.

"He almost took you right there." She says in a hushed whisper so James doesn't hear.

"No-"

"He suggested having a sleepover."

"For the kids."

"For the kids until it's you two alone." Kenna is visibly elated at the prospect and Mary just rolls her eyes as she finishes cleaning up the kitchen.

_ -/- _

She hasn't told anyone about the almost kiss thing, mainly because she knows that once she does they won't leave her alone about it. Also, because once she says it out loud she will be admitting that that's what it was, she won't be able to think otherwise. 

Not that she hasn't been thinking about it every second of every damn day, she certainly has but that isn't the point. Is there a point? She just got out of a marriage and here she is thinking about how Francis didn't kiss her, even though it looked like he wanted to. 

There is a sign on the door of his classroom that says " _ Science room _ ." And then lists the number underneath and she sighs heavily as she goes about finding it. It isn't easy considering she barely knows the layout of this damn building but she finds it and finds James chasing John around a few large wooden tables, ducking under legs and zooming around corners. Francis seems surprised to see her walk in as he gathers up books to place back on their respective shelves. 

"Hi." She says softly. He gives her a small smile before going back to what he was doing. "James, are you ready to go?" She asks as she turns her attention to her son. He pauses in his game for a second to look at her and then he's back to playing with John like she never walked in.

"Actually, can I talk to you?" Francis asks as he walks over to her. 

"I'd actually like to get going." She says with a step back, "James-"

"It'll just take a second." Francis gestures towards the door and she nods after a beat and allows him to lead her to the hallway. 

"Oh, hallway talk. Must be serious." She mutters as the door closes with a soft click. He doesn't say anything he just looks at her as he puts his hands in his pockets and leans against the wall. He let's a few seconds of silence tick by before he says something.

"How are you?" He asks. 

"Fine."

"You don't seem fine."

"Are you going to call a judge and petition to have my son taken away now?"

"Mary-"

"Stop." She shakes her head, "If you had a problem you should have come to me. You didn't have to do that." And there it is, out in the open and she doesn't know what he's going to do about it and there's so much more that she could say but she doesn't want to be here all night. She certainly doesn't want to get into a screaming match with her kids' teacher in the hall so she shakes her head again and turns to the door.

"I did." Is what he says, "I believe more than once. I was doing my job."

"You went too far."

"Your son came to me with concerns, he was afraid of his own father and when I brought it up to you, you didn't do anything." He says and he sounds a little angry but his face doesn't show it when she turns back around, "It took Darnley almost overdosing in your car and leaving James by himself for you to realize he wasn't handling anything on his own." She didn't tell him about that and she realizes that Bash must have told him. Which is the opposite of what she asked him to do. She runs a hand through her hair.

"Darnley is getting the help that he needs and I hope that it's enough," Francis tells her and she can't tell if he's just saying that to say it or if he means it. "I know that I overstepped, but after what happened I'm beginning to think I didn't go far enough. I should have done something the first time he put his hands on you." That's more genuine and she swallows hard as she avoids looking at him.

"Am I supposed to thank you?" She asks softly. He doesn't say anything now, he just looks at her. Eventually, he shakes his head.

"I would like to put this behind us. I would like us to be friends."

"Friends?"

"Or at the very least civil." He says with a shrug, "No more petty comments or dirty looks." He adds softly, with a smirk that makes the last part seem more like a joke. She glances at the floor as she thinks, the question comes out before she can stop it.

"Did you want to kiss me the other day?" She asks it in something smaller than a whisper and he looks at her like he's confused and she wants desperately to pull the question back, to pluck the words out of the air between them.

"I..." he shakes his head, "You just got out of a very rocky marriage." Oh, that hurt.

"Oh."

"If I did something to make you think that, I'm sorry..." he says softly and she looks away from him. "You've been through a lot-"

"So I'm too damaged?" She snaps it, harsh and cold and now she's glaring at him like it's his fault. She's the one who convinced herself he wants her. 

Darnley didn't even want her, why did she think Francis might? 

"I-"

"I have to go." She says it coldly as she turns to head back inside. 

She leaves without another word, doesn't turn around when he tries to get her to stay.

_ -/- _

He's been calling her but she's been ignoring him. He doesn't do it much but it's enough to annoy the hell out of her for the next few days. After about two, he doesn't call her anymore. 

"Mom!" She whirls around when she hears the very familiar voice and she barely has time to send a questioning look to her mother as the boy collides with her, arms stretching to wrap around her waist. She isn't supposed to have her kid at work with her, she got yelled at a few times when he was a baby and Darnley was too...well, too busy being Darnley to watch him.

"I have a meeting to get to." Her mother explains with a wave of her hand, "I tried to call."

"I turned off my phone," Mary says softly.

"I noticed." Her mother mutters as she walks over to give James a goodbye hug. "Sorry for dropping in like this, it was rather sudden."

"It's okay." Mary tells her, "I was getting ready to leave."

"How was school?" Mary asks when she and James are enjoying a quiet evening to themselves at home. He just shrugs and she squints at him. "You did go, right?" She teases with a playful poke of his arm. 

"It was okay." He tells her as he continues coloring at the dining table.

"Just okay?" 

"Yeah." He sighs and she frowns a little, her brain somehow coming to the conclusion that maybe Francis is treating him differently after what happened the other day. 

"Mr. V wasn't there." He confesses after a little while.

"Oh." 

"His dad died." He tells her rather casually when she turns around to finish doing the dishes. 

"Oh..."

"He might be back tomorrow." He says before he asks if he can play outside. She tells him to stay where she can see him in the yard. Francis' dad dying would explain how she hasn't heard much out of Bash too and why Francis stopped calling. 

"Oh yeah, he died like...two, three days ago." Kenna says over the phone when James is in bed and Mary is overthinking this on her couch, "It was expected-"

"Are they okay?" Mary asks, referring to both Bash and Francis but Kenna sees right through that one.

"Francis is eh." 

" _Eh_?"

"Well, you know, as I said it wasn't sudden. Henry had been sick for a while and he wasn't...the nicest guy to be around." Kenna sighs, "He favored Bash a bit more than his dozens of other children. So. He's eh."

"Hm."

"Heard you guys got into it." Kenna says after a moment of silence, "Wanna tell me what that was about?"

"No."

"Not even if I say please?"

"No."

"What if I throw in a pretty please?"

"No."

"With a cherry on top."

"Kenna." Mary rolls her eyes as she leans back against the cushions. "It was stupid."

"As are all your other decisions."

"Hey!"

"I love you but you're a little dumb." 

"Kenna-"

"Did he do something?" She asks, "Does it have to do with Darnley? James? Bash won't tell me anything."

"Bash isn't even supposed to know."

"He assures me that he doesn't know anything, apparently Francis was very vague."

"Good." She says softly, the last thing she needs is for Bash to be able to tease her with it. She cringes just thinking about how his face changed when she asked if he wanted to kiss her.  _ Stupid Mary. Why did you ask him that? _

"It was my fault." She says softly when Kenna is quiet. "I...said something I shouldn't have."

"Did you tell him you want to have his babies?"

"Kenna. No."

"Did you tell him you want him to do you like you're his nine to five and he's behind on rent?"

"What? No. Stop asking weird questions." She snaps when her face heats up and she sinks low in her seat despite being the only one in the room.

"Maryyyyyy, I wanna help."

"I..." she shakes her head, "It's fine." It doesn't feel fine. Especially now that she knows he went from work to the hospital to watch his dad die after their  _ conversation. _

She should talk to him. So when she finally gets off the phone with Kenna, she calls him.

It rings three times before it's sent to voicemail.

_ -/- _

Francis doesn't come back to work until that following Thursday and she doesn't bother him until she has a second on a Friday after. 

James is with her mother and she's surprised to find that John isn't in the room with him when she walks in. She didn't think he'd be here this late, but he is and his door is open, so she walks in.

It looks to her like he is getting ready to leave. He's setting the bag with his laptop inside down on his desk before zipping it up. He moves a little slower than usual and he looks exhausted. She stays within the confines of the doorframe, too nervous to venture further and taps on the medal softly.

"Um..." She fidgets with her bracelet when he turns his head. "Hi."

"What are you doing here?" He asks as he turns back to his desk. "James went home hours ago."

"I know..." she says softly, "I heard about your father." He's quiet for a second, he doesn't turn around but he sighs heavily like it was a struggle to get out before he shakes his head. 

"Did you come all the way here to offer your condolences?" It's said with a hint of irritation. 

"I overreacted the last time we spoke..." She admits. "And I wanted to apologize." He doesn't react to that, "And the condolences thing." She adds quickly. He doesn't say anything, he doesn't turn around. He just pulls on his coat and shoves his keys in his pocket. Mary says awkwardly on her feet, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, trying to decide if she should just go.

"I'm sorry..." She tries after a little while, "For...everything..." Including the stuff with Darnley, the overstepping. He was right, it was in her and James' best interest. 

He still isn't acknowledging her, he walks past her, setting a full trash bin in the hall and closing the door.

"Francis?" She questions softly, he's acting like she isn't even here, "Okay. So. I guess I'll just...lea-"

His lips are on hers before she even realized he moved. It's not a soft collision and the quickness of it takes her by surprise. He uses one hand to cup her cheek and the other to pull her to him as it softens and they both relax. And just as quick as it began, it's over and he steps back like he never did it in the first place. 

"Have a nice night," Francis says casually before he walks around her and  _ leaves _ . He leaves her in the room to process what the hell just happened. 

Which was  _ what _ , exactly? He kissed her and then  _ left _ . What the hell is she supposed to do with that? Go about her day like he didn't put his mouth on her mouth? Does she call him?

Mary gives herself a mental shake before turning to leave, chest buzzing and ears ringing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is okay with this whole virus thing going around. Remember to wash your hands, try to stay home as much as you can and if you have to go out, just stay safe. Be responsible. If you feel sick, don't go out. (If you can help it).


	10. Chapter 10

"You've been quiet this morning," Greer comments over the dismantling of an espresso maker. 

"No reason," Mary says softly as she reaches down inside the machine to clean it. They haven't had many customers today and she blames it on the cloudy, warmer day. It's making the snowmelt into a mixture of sludgy mud and god only knows what else. She wouldn't want to leave the house either. 

Maybe people just don't like coffee anymore. 

"Nothing new?" Greer asks and she shakes her head. She doesn't know if her friend is buying it, "You just look like something is bothering you." Francis kissed her and then left like he didn't, that might be what it is. But Greer doesn't know that, so she shakes her head and shrugs. 

Why did he do that? Did he just do it for a laugh? Was he trying to mess with her? Did he do it because he  _ wanted  _ to?

The bell over the door dings as it opens.

"Aylee, you forgot to lock it!" Greer shouts towards the back and they get a distant, " _ Sorry _ !" From deep within the stockroom. 

"John, no running." Francis scolds softly and Mary has a half a mind to duck under the counter, stomach twisting violently at his entrance. He doesn't come here, he never has. Is he stalking her now? What the-

"Francis!" Greer greets him with a smile and then a wave and Mary's pretty sure she ran to the back but she can't be sure. She blinked and the next thing she knew, she was looking around for something to busy herself with.

"Hiding?" Aylee asks from her place on a step stool, placing a bag of coffee beans on a shelf.

"No." She says quickly.

"Are you sure? You look like you're hiding."

"I'm...shut up." She spats when she can't think of an excuse, she just pulls a box over to her and starts sifting through it. She can barely hear Greer chatting away with Francis, smiling and joking and she wonders what he's doing here.

"Well, John likes to take off running when he sees something that interests him." Francis shrugs, "I think he saw Mary through the window."

"She's in the back," Greer says casually but then there it is, her voice bellows loudly against the cafe walls and she barely breaks eye contact with Francis. "MARYYYY!"

She hates her, she hates her, she  _ hates  _ her.

A few encouraging nudges from Aylee later and she's awkwardly shuffling to the counter wearing a tight smile. 

At least John is excited to see her and with him here, it eases her nerves and a genuine smile is easier to pull off. The boy also gives her something to look at because looking at Francis isn't an option at the moment. 

John asks if James is here, how she is, how her day has been and he's so freaking cute her heart might actually burst out of her chest. She may or may not have slipped him a cookie by the end of it. 

"Well, I see you guys are busy." Francis says suddenly, "And I have to get him to Lola's." He's taking John's small hand and the boy gives a small wave as he’s led out of the shop. 

The girls give her five seconds before they close in.

"Did you see how he was looking at you!?" Aylee shouts it from the back and she groans as her hands meet her face. 

"It was very obvious he only came in here to see you." 

"Stooopppp-"

"I'm pretty sure his insides turned to mush when you were talking to his child," Greer adds casually.

"No mush." Mary says as she rubs at her eyes, "He did not come in here to see me." She says it more like she's trying to convince  _ herself  _ of that instead of the two girls who are looking at her like she's half insane. Greer squints and tilts her head like she's thinking.

"Something happened." She says, "Mary-"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes," Greer says it sternly, poking her side a little too hard and she jumps.

"Okay, yes!" Mary confesses with a whine and a desperate impulse to cover her very red, very hot face. She settles for just pinching the bridge of her nose and Aylee has joined in now, more in a supportive role as she places a comforting hand on Mary's shoulder. 

"He...he uh..." Mary's pacing the floor now with her arms folded around herself. 

"The suspense is crippling." Greer hums and Aylee nods an agreeing head.

"He kissed me."

"He. What!?"

"And then he left." She adds quickly. 

"...like the next morning?"

"No, we didn't...it was just a kiss," Mary says softly as she pauses in her pacing to look at them but they just look at her in confusion. "He kissed me and then left before I could react to it."

"What do you mean he left?" 

"He exited the building, got in his car, and drove the hell home," Mary says in a rush of words, emotions blooming in her chest again. The anger and humiliation she felt as she walked back to her car to see that he had quite literally just  _ left _ . It rises like bile in the back of her throat.

"He at least called you?" Aylee questions, a small amount of hope in her very sweet voice. She shakes her head. 

"Okay, but was it like a peck-"

"Nope." No, no. It wasn't like he was giving granny a peck on the cheek. It was a  _ come home with me  _ type of kiss, the kind of kiss that only led to more heated, insistent, _ take off your clothes _ ; kisses.

And he freaking _ left _ .

"He said, have a nice night, and then he left me in his classroom and went home." Greer squints, smacks her lips, starts to undo her apron.

"Two seconds." Her friend says as she rounds the corner and heads for the door.

"Greer, no!" She squeaks but she already left. She comes back after a second with a frown.

"What is he a magician?" Greer asks with a shake of her head. She's glad that he did another disappearing act, she definitely didn't want Greer to pull him back in here.

_ -/- _

"What's wrong with your brother?" Mary asks in the front lawn of Bash's place, leaning against the 1970's Monte Carlo he has his head in the engine of. 

"I have several, you'll have to be more specific."

"You know which one." She snaps it and it causes him to sigh heavily as he straightens. 

"Did you finally talk to him?" He asks as he dabs the sweat on his forehead with a grease-covered cloth. He asks it like he ready knows so she shrugs.

"He didn't talk much..."

"So you yelled at him again?"

"No." She scoffs, "And I never did."

"Not what he said."

"Well, he lied."

"Francis doesn't lie," Bash says matter of factly before he turns to his toolbox to shift through it. "It's really quite annoying. He's very honest."

"Lovely." She mutters, "I didn't yell at him."

"Did you snap at him?"

"Bash."

"Did your voice do that squeaky thing where it rises three octaves when you're irritated?"

"I do not do that!" Except that she just  _ did it  _ but that's beside the point.

"Adorable. Get off my car." Bash says dryly as he nudges her back so he can open the door. "Mary, if you want answers you're going to have to go to the source."

"I did that."

"And?" He peers up at her from the driver's seat and she shifts awkwardly, scratching behind her ear. "Aaaannd?" 

"We...may have had an exchange." He squints like he's confused.

"Of?"

"He...put his mouth on my mouth..." She says it quietly, she doesn't want Kenna to hear and she peeks over the car to see she's still a ways away, kicking a ball to James. 

"He kissed you!?" Bash is the one who asks it loudly.

"Maybe." She says quickly with a shush. Bash is up and out of the car though and she's desperately chasing him through the muddy yard to stop him. "Please, please, please-"

"Francis kissed Mary." He says casually, quietly so that James doesn't hear. 

"NOOOOO!" Is the loud cry that comes out of her friend, "Damnit!"

"Okay, not the reaction I had in mind," Mary says softly but Kenna waves a hand dismissively as she kicks the ball back towards James and starts to pull out her wallet.

"You couldn't just be a little  _ forward _ ." Kenna shakes her head as though she's scolding her as she yanks out a crisp twenty-dollar bill and all but throws it at Bash. Who is absolutely _glowing_. 

"Pleasure doing business with you, Darling."

"Oh, fu-" Kenna stops, " _ Sod _ off."

"Did...did you guys have a bet?" Mary asks softly.

"To see who cracked first." Bash shrugs. "And I was riiigghhhtttt." He pokes Kenna as he teases and she looks like she's ready to punch him in the face.

"What's going on?" James asks when he sees them.

"I just got us some ice cream money," Bash says quickly.

"Dinner is in like an hour."

"Please?" Bash pouts in a way that makes her roll her eyes so she nods and they cheer before heading towards the house.

"So." Kenna starts, bumping her shoulder against Mary's as they walk. Her displeased expression is replaced with something playful, ready to tease. 

"Guess it's out." 

"You don't seem happy about it." Kenna says softly, "Is he a lousy kisser?"  _ That's a hard no _ .

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?" She supposes she should tell her, now that she knows and she did literally lose money over it. She just doesn't know what Kenna will do with it.

_ -/- _

Lola is ecstatic when she finds out. Mary didn't even have to tell her, she already knew. 

"I saw Kenna the other day and she may have spilled the beans," Lola says as they walk. It's been a week since and he hasn't said anything about it, she hasn't even run into him since the day at the cafe. She's beginning to think she dreamt the whole thing up.

"I'm not even sure what happened."

"Francis will come around." Lola hums sympathetically, "He's very busy at the moment." Which would explain why Lola has John more, but he could at least call her. Or answer when she calls him.

"With what?"

"Settling his father's estate, dividing things, cleaning things out, blah, blah, blah." Lola sighs, "He's been helping his mother and his younger siblings adjust to everything." Well, that's understandable, but still. He owes her an explanation as to why he left the way that he did. After kissing her the way that he did.

"So, do you want to come to my wedding?" Lola asks after a moment of silence. 

"When is it?"

"It's not for another few months." 

"Oh. Yeah."

"By then maybe you'll be Francis' date." She smirks. Maybe. But not if he keeps disappearing on her. 

She tries not to take his absence personally, Kenna calls it  _ ghosting _ . He is ghosting her, whatever that means. Maybe it's just some weird play, get her to wonder why he isn't making any more moves, get her to get tired of waiting and seek him out instead. 

**Momzie:** " _ Back by twelve. The crazies come out after midnight _ ."

**Mary:** " _ You're giving me a curfew? Am I seventeen? _ "

She doesn't text back and Mary sighs as she stares at the ice in her drink. What is she still doing here? Lola left an hour ago. She should have gone too. She's just about to reach in her purse to grab some money when the clearing of a throat catches her off guard.

"Wasn't expecting to see you here." She mutters as he takes a seat next to her.

"Surprise." Francis hums, "Are you alone?"

"Isn't that obvious?" She gestures at her empty table. It makes him smile a small smile and laugh a small laugh and she tries not to let it send the butterflies in her stomach into overdrive.

It does.

It's quiet though, besides the chatter of other patrons and the clinking of other glasses. There's a smack of a billiard stick meeting a ball somewhere and it's louder than it should be. She swallows.

"Do you hang out in bars alone often?" She asks softly.

"No, I was with a friend." 

"Oh." She says as she leans back in her seat, "A friend." They’ve had this conversation before.

"He left a few minutes ago." He tells her like he knows she was questioning the gender of said friend. Not that it's any of her business, even if he did kiss her six days ago. She tilts her glass to her lips to give herself more time to think of something else to talk about. 

"You kissed me." She says softly without looking at him. She's made it a point since, not to look at him. She finds it hard to string sentences when she looks at him now. 

"I did." He says it just as softly. "Was it okay?" She makes a face. It was more than okay? Why is he- _ oh _ . Oh, he means was it okay  _ that _ he did it. 

"It was um..." she shrugs, "A little out of the blue but yes, I...I'm okay with it." She thinks this is weird to talk about but maybe Francis feels bad about not getting the go-ahead from her beforehand. She isn't even sure how she would have answered him if he had asked. 

"I...liked it." She tells him after a little while when she realizes he wasn't going to say anything else. She was hoping maybe he would do it again. And again.

And again.

But with the way he's looking at her now, she isn't sure if that's something she should say so she just slings her purse over her shoulder and moves to stand. 

"Have a nice night." She tells him, much like he did after he kissed her and she turns to leave. 

"Mary." His voice makes her halt and she looks over her shoulder to see he's standing too.

_ -/- _

She doesn't know how they moved so quickly, or who moved first, but his mouth is on hers and she's pulling him into a bathroom. The door swinging shut behind him, they don't even check if they're alone, they're too lost in each other. Her fingers are twisting in his shirt as he backs her towards the counter and she almost falls in the sink but he pulls her against him.

_ He's your son's teacher, he's your son's teacher, he's your son's teacher. _ It's so hard to hear her own mind right now, not when he's pressed between her legs like he was  _ born _ to be there and her fingers tug at his golden curls like that's the only thing they were created to do. He doesn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to stop either. 

He pulls away for just a second, just long enough for both of them to breathe before he goes back. This time he kisses her harder, deeper and she presses herself against him. She barely notices when she feels his fingers dive under the hem of her sweater dress and his other hand sweeps the hair away from her neck.

Every sweep of his tongue and the gentle tug of his teeth only makes her needier. It feels like they've been doing this their whole lives, their lips were made to meet and she can't stop, she'd rather die than stop. 

The whimper that slips from her mouth makes him smirk when he pulls away. She chases his mouth and he applies one kiss, teeth pulling at her bottom lip in a way that makes her gasp. That's all she gets though and then he's pressing open-mouthed kisses to her neck, a little bit sloppy.

She pulls him back to her lips after a while, kissing him deeply, sighing into his mouth.

She may have been angry about the kissing and the leaving before but how can she stay mad now? Her legs are tightening around him in an attempt to pull him even closer. She keeps her fingers anchored to his hair and she can feel his hand on her thigh but it isn't moving. He pulls it away suddenly and removes his mouth from hers soon after that.

"Francis?" She questions, voice a little breathy. He looks pained and he shakes his head.

"We shouldn't." She hopes to god he follows that with a  _ not here _ , but he's quiet. 

"I...I don't understand." 

"Mary-"

"Did I do something?" She asks softly, her voice is small and almost childlike and as he steps back, she feels her stomach drop.

"It's not..." He sighs, shakes his head again and now he's turning to the door. 

"I-"

"I'm really sorry." That's the last thing he says before he's out the door.

_ -/- _

She tries not to take it personally, but she  _ does _ . How dare he? What game is he playing? She wanted him, he wanted her, sure doing it in a bar bathroom would have been  _ risky _ , but for God's sake, don't leave a girl there. Don't leave her the way he left her, with her skirt hiked high on her thighs, her legs open, hair messy, and her face flushed. 

She came home to find James in bed and her mother reading on her couch.

"What happened?" Her mother asks when she walks in looking less than pleased.

"I don't want to talk about it." She huffs as she stomps down the hall and slams her bedroom door with a force she didn't know she was capable of.

"I hate him." She says softly, phone pressed to her ear.

"You don't." Aylee assures her, "I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation."

"And what would that be?" 

"I don't know." She says softly. 

"Thanks. You're so much help." She mumbles. She doesn't want to be mean to Aylee, Aylee is the purest goddamn thing to ever walk this earth. But she's hurt and she feels rejected and she doesn't understand why he left her again. She's humiliated.

And rightfully, pissed.

"I really like him," Mary says softly.

"Are you worried he doesn't like you back?"

"A little." She confesses. She feels like a kid talking to a friend about the cute boy on the football team. It all seems so silly, they're adults, they should be more upfront about their feelings. If there even are any on his end. 

"The way he was kissing me felt like he did."

"Maybe he just didn't want it to happen like...like that."

"Then why wouldn't he suggest going somewhere else?"

"Because you're a mother with a young son and a babysitter to relieve."

He could have told her he didn't want it to happen like that, he could have asked her out on a proper date to see how things went. He didn't have to leave.

But he  _ did _ .

And it _ hurt. _

"I don't know what I'm gonna do." She breathes and then groans. It's such a stupid problem to have. Poor Mary, the pretty teacher keeps kissing you, what a  _ tragedy. _

_ -/- _

Talking to him is probably the last thing she wants to do, but the next afternoon she finds herself walking down to his classroom.

"Hey, Mary." Lola smiles as she walks with John, a knowing smirk on her lips.

"Lola," Mary says suddenly, making the girl stop and turn with a quirk of her brow. "I...I need to talk to Francis alone. So-"

"I'll keep James company." She smiles and she stands in the hall to wait while Mary grabs James.

And then she's closing the door and walking over to Francis. He's hardly looked up from his paperwork but when he does, he stands.

"I know what I-" She slaps him. Hard. "Ow!"

"Ass."

"Mary-" She does it again, a little harder this time. Her hands land wherever it wants now and she really doubts it hurts him, he could easily stop her with a flick of his wrists. 

"You."  _ Smack _ , "Left."  _ Smack _ . "Me."  _ Smack _ . He does stop her eventually, hands wrapping around both of her wrists and holding them tightly.

"Stop slapping me." He pleads and she concedes because she has too. 

"Stop leaving me."

"Mary."

"Let gooooo-" It's a pretty pathetic little whine that leaves her lips, bouncing in place in a way that almost makes him giggle but he swallows it.

"Are you going to hit me if I do?"

"Most likely."

"Thanks for your honesty." He smirks, "Now listen."

"Listening." She mutters, twisting her wrists to get out of his grip but that only makes him hold her tighter. Strong fingers- _ No. _ The thought makes her cheeks turn a faint pink.

"You're blushing." He teases, "Why are you blushing?"

"Shut  _ up _ ." She hisses.

"The first time I left after I kissed you was because I thought it would be hilarious." He tells her

"Excuse me!?"

"And I thought you'd come after me but you didn't." He pouts at that, "And then some things involving my father came up, between that and work, I couldn't return your calls. Then I saw you."

"The night at the bar." She mutters, twisting her wrists again, her fingers are tingly now and she thinks he cut off her blood circulation, despite not holding on tight enough to hurt her.

"Yes." He says softly.

"And you left again." He looks pained at that like he's embarrassed but he nods.

"I did." He sighs, "Uh. I don't have a reason for that one. I got...spooked."

"Spooked?"

"Yup."

"You left me there...with uh, with my skirt up, legs open...to walk out alone, because you got  _ spooked _ ?" She clicks her tongue against her teeth as a fresh wave of anger washes over her and oh if he wasn't holding her wrists right now she'd-

" _ Ow _ !" He hisses when her foot makes contact with his shin.

"Oh I'm sorry did that hurt? Here let me get the other one." She snaps but the man has lightning-like reflexes. She barely has time to yelp before he scoops her up like she's made of paper. 

He let go of her wrists but made sure she had to use her arms so she didn't fall, wrapping them around his neck as his arm tucks itself under her knees. 

Whatever this is only succeeds in making her angrier and so does his next comment.

"You're a violent little thing aren't you?" He questions in something playful.

"Put. Me. Down."

"Make me." He challenges with a quirk of his brow and she yelps when he proceeds to pretend to slip. Her arms go around him tightly. "I'm kidding, I got you."

"Not funny." She breathes.

"I thought it was funny."

"You also thought leaving me in your classroom after kissing me was funny." She mutters. 

"This is the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life," Lola says from the door, she makes Francis jump and then he's placing Mary back on the floor quickly. They both clear their throats and Mary adjusts her skirt awkwardly because it rode up a bit on her thighs. 

"Where's James?" She asks when her face cools down.

"In the hall with John." She waves a hand, "Don't worry they didn't see anything."

"Good," Mary says quickly and she fidgets with her hands a bit before clearing her throat again. "Have a nice night." She tells Francis before pretty much running out of the room.

_ -/- _

"Brush your teeth and then bed, okay?" Mary says when she pokes her head in the bathroom. James nods his head as she squeezes some toothpaste on his bright green toothbrush. 

"Hey, pinprick size." She says when he squeezes a very large glob of minty freshness on the bristles. "Don't be wasteful."

"Oops." He says with a soft giggle and she shakes her head as she closes the door. It's raining, the weatherman on the television is circling the dark red part of his map marked " _ Severe weather. _ " With the coming spring, it brings thunderstorms which means James will probably have a hard time sleeping alone tonight. 

She hopes that it'll come late enough he'll just stay asleep. She warns him as she tucks him in later that there may be some storms and he assures her he'll be fine. 

Mary runs her hands through her hair as she listens to the downpour of rain hit her roof. The lights flicker and then her phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Mary." It's Francis. 

"Oh great."

"You don't want to talk to me." He sounds like he's sad by it and she rolls her eyes as she turns the tv down. "I get it, I was an ass."

"How's your shin?"

"There's a bruise but it's okay." He hums. Her lights flicker again. "There's a big storm coming."

"I know."

"Light some candles in case the power goes out."

"No." She makes sure the annoyance is well-read in her voice. Light some candles, he says,  _ screw you, Francis. _ It makes him laugh and just like that, just because the universe loves her, the power goes out and a clap of thunder erupts so loudly it shakes the house.

"Power went out, didn't it?" He teases.

"Shut up." She snaps.

"Mom!" James calls. 

"Bet you wish you lit some candles."

"Ha... _ ha _ ."

"Mommy!" Another call, this one more desperate.

"One second, buddy!" She calls back.

"I suppose I'll let you go then." He sighs, "Your phone has a flashlight?" He asks it like he cares and she rolls her eyes probably for the millionth time in their conversation.

"It does." She says through clenched teeth. "Thanks."

"No problem, Ms. Stuart."

"Stop calling me that."

"Why?" Because it makes her stomach flip and flop like she's a damn teenager. And it's insanely  _ hot _ . She's not telling him that.

He probably already knows. That's probably why he did it.

"I gotta go."

"Wait." He says quickly, voice cutting through James calling for her again. 

" _ What _ !?"

"What are you doing Saturday?"

"W-why?"

"Do you have plans?"

"No."

"Do you want plans?" He asks and she swallows as her mouth has become impossibly dry and she chews on her nail.

"Doing what?" There's a long pause after that and she thinks he was about to say something way too inappropriate but he just sighs.

"I'm asking you out."

"Oh." She says, "On a date?"

"Mhm." He hums and he waits patiently for an answer but she's finding it hard to form words right now.

"Mommmmmmm!" James shouts for her and it brings her back.

"O-okay."

"Great."

"Francis, I..." she swallows, "I have to-"

"I can hear him." He sounds like he's smiling, amused, "Bye Mary." 

"Bye..." he hangs up and she shakes her head as she tries to wipe the stupid smile off her face and go tend to her son. So she flips the flashlight on her phone on and tiptoes down the hall to James' room.


	11. Chapter 11

“Kenna, I really don't think-” She’s trying to convince her friend that a leather mini skirt is not the  _ appropriate attire _ for a first day, but before she gets it out, the garment hits her in the face. She throws it back with a frown. 

“You really need to get some new clothes,” Kenna mutters as she sifts through her closet, shaking her head disapprovingly at every article of clothing she pulls out. There’s a large pile of Mary’s clothes on the floor that just seems to be getting larger and larger with each flick of Kenna’s wrist. 

“Oho. What is this?” Kenna smirks as she pulls out a dress that Mary would classify as  _ before James. _ It’s black and tight and short, she remembers her mother wanted her to at least wear tights under it and she did, she just took them off as soon as Darnley picked her up-

“I got pregnant in that.” She says casually jumping at the sound of Aylee joking on her water by the window and Kenna makes a face as she tosses it in the ever-growing pile by the closet.

“That’s a no.” She hums and then sighs a heavy sigh. As though she’d been given a task that’s proving to be too difficult. “Mary, why do you dress like a single mother in the throes of a bad divorce.” She whines pitifully.

“Because...because I am?”

“Not anymoreeee.” Mary rolls her eyes as she thumbs through twitter. Aylee has joined them now, looking at the mess with an intrigued frown.

“What about just a sweater?” She suggests, “And jeans.” 

“That doesn't seem very date-”

“Aylee you’re a goddamn genius,” Kenna says suddenly and quite seriously as she darts over to Mary’s dresser and starts piecing outfits together. “If you dress like you don't care, it’ll make him want you more.”   
“But I do-”   
“We know.” Kenna breathes, she’s been freaking out about this date for days and with it being only a few short hours away, she’s been pretty much in a panic all day. Plus he hasn't told her what they’re doing. “Oh, did you shave your legs?” Kenna asks suddenly as she holds up a red sweater against a blue one before flinging the blue one over her shoulder. 

“Why would I-” Her face makes her stop the question and instead she blushes. “We’re not going to do  _ that _ .”

“Bar bathroom.” She coos. 

“That was different.”

“Was it?” Both Kenna and Aylee ask it which makes her feel pretty attacked right now. But they’re right, they almost did it in a bathroom, would it be that bad if they went for it tonight? On the first date? She stands up from her bed with a heavy sigh. 

“Don’t forget to moisturize.” Kenna tells her as she heads towards the bathroom, “Oh! And don’t forget the lady bits!”   
“Okay,  _ thank _ you!” She shouts back as she closes the door with a slight slam. 

She may or may not have to run the razor over her legs twice to get them bare and smooth. Don’t judge it’s been a very long time since she’s...had to. 

“He’s late.” She says for probably the fifth time as she paces by the front door and Aylee sits on the couch watching her pace like a maniac.

“It’s probably fine.” She says in something that would be soothing if Mary wasn’t panicking right now. “Maybe there’s traffic.” 

“Maybe he crashed.”

“Mary.”

“What?” She asks.

“There’s a car.” Aylee points out the window and they both still for what feels like hours as the silence stretches until it ends with a loud knock on the door. She squeaks.

“What do I do!?”

“Open the door.” Aylee says in just as much squeakiness as she jumps up from the couch, “Wait!”

“What?” Mary turns sharply.

“Deep breath.” She says, “Less panic.”

“I’m not-” Another knock and she turns towards the door, just ripping it open like a bandaid.

“Are you okay?” Francis looks half amused, half concerned. 

“Yeah, why?”

“Your door isn't soundproof.” He smirks, “Hi Aylee.” He gives a little wave and Aylee sends one back with a tight smile, “Are you ready?”

“Uh...yes.” She says softly as she grabs her jacket and her keys and then she’s stepping over the threshold and out on the porch to meet him. 

“Are you hungry?”

_ -/- _

"Where are we going?" She asks when they leave the restaurant and he pulls her onto the sidewalk instead of back towards his car. 

"A walk." He says with a smirk as she falls into step next to him. "We both could use a little fresh air." She doesn't argue with that, instead, she allows him to lace his fingers through hers and pull her close until their shoulders touch one another.

"I think it's going to storm." She tells him as they walk down the paved bike path. The temperature has gone down but it's still quite humid and the moisture in the air sticks to her skin.

"Maybe later." He hums.

"James hates them."

"Why?" 

"Just an old childhood fear we were never able to break, I guess." She shrugs and Francis nods like he understands. 

"John has night terrors." He supplies after a beat of silence, "He's had them since he was three. They're not as frequent but, it's almost impossible to get him back to sleep when he has one."

"John is so sweet." She pouts, it breaks her heart that he has to go through that, but she's thankful it isn't James. She isn't sure what she would do if it was.

"Thanks, I made him." He jokes.

"No, I think the one with the uterus did most of that." She jokes back and he laughs a small laugh as he tightens his fingers around hers. 

"Fine.  _ Lola  _ made him, but I helped."

"Okay." She giggles and it's quiet but she  _ has  _ to ask. "How did that happen?"

"Did you not pay attention in biology-"

"No, I mean." She gives him a playful nudge with her shoulder, "You and Lola. It was just the one time, right? But what led to it?"

"You want to know how Lola and I..." He gives her a weird look, "I can tell you but you have to tell me how someone like Darnley, got  _ you. _ "

"Deal." She says and he shakes his head before clearing his throat.

"Lola and I have been friends for a long time but we were never more than that."

"Uh-huh."

"And then one day, we both got...Bash made these brownies."

"Oh  _ no _ ." 

"We were in my room studying and then all of a sudden, she was yellow, and I was blue, and we wanted to make green." He says and she's trying so hard not to laugh at this but it comes out anyway. 

"Oh my god!" She laughs, hands over her mouth.

"It was the only time it ever happened and we both barely remembered it. A couple of months later, John was born."

"Did Bash know that you guys-"

"Yes, and I didn't hear the end of it for weeks." He sighs, "Didn't help that we shared a wall too."  _ That _ really gets her going and she has to stop so she can laugh and laugh and laugh until there are tears in her eyes and he's looking at her like she's crazy.

"I'm sorry...it's not that..." she shakes her head, "I'm just imagining Bash's face when he heard you two shouting about mixing your colors."

"Haha." He says dryly, "It's your turn." He pulls her back to his side once she calms down enough to speak. 

"Our stories are kind of similar." She confesses, "No brownies though."

"Do tell."

"Okay so, Darnley and I weren't friends." She explains, "Not really but we always kind of ended up together."

"Uh-huh."

"And we tolerated each other." She sighs, "He used to be really sweet, arrogant, but sweet. And I thought he was so...hot back then. Anyways, he asked me out, or he asked me if I wanted to go to a party with him and I said yes."

"And then what? You snuck off to a room."

"We uh, got a little drunk and then we ended up driving to this abandoned Walmart-"

"Oh."

"And we wanted to see if the windows would steam." She adds softly, "Like in that scene on Titanic." 

"You and Darnley...in the car?" He looks at her then, a teasing smirk spreading on his face, "You  _ animal. _ "

"Shut up. What color were you again?" She asks and now they're both laughing. After a while, she quiets.

"Where are we going again?" She asks as she walks beside him, she figured they would head back but they aren't. He just keeps walking. She gives him a confused look when he makes a sudden turn towards a park.

"You didn't think the date was over, did you?" He asks as he pulls her along.

_ -/- _

"Wait!" She squeaks when he goes to let go. He's placed her on a swing, the only surviving swing on the swingset. The chains are a bit rusted and the seat is a little worn. He has twisted her so the chains intertwine with each other and the only thing left to do now is let her go so she spins. 

_ They're grown adults. _

"What if I fall?" She asks when he holds her with a firm grasp on her knees. 

"I'll catch you."

"You'll be over there." 

"I don't want you to kick me." He tells her like it's obvious. " _ Again _ ." He adds.

"Francis." 

"Close your eyes." He says suddenly, softly and she squints at him until he comes a little closer and her chest dissolves. "Go on." He leans in and she finally closes them, eyelids falling shut slowly. She thought he was going to kiss her. She should really learn to read people better, he  _ let's go _ and she shrieks as she feels her body being spun and jerked in fast motions and her insides feel like they're being stirred in a pot. 

When it finally stops, she blinks a few times, planting her feet in the mulch to further steady herself, her fingers are clinging to the chains hard enough to leave the indents of them in her palm. Francis is looking at her like he's never been more proud of anything else in his life. 

"Am dizzy." She mutters when he approaches her, leaning down and kissing her with a soft, breathy laugh. The kiss takes on a life of its own after that and one of her hands leaves the chain of her swing to rest on the back of his neck. His hand rests on her thigh, making her a little upset that she wore jeans and just knowing that it's there is  _ torture _ . 

She can't tell if she's still dizzy from the spinning or if she's dizzy from the kissing, either way; her brain is short-circuiting when he pulls away.

"What do you want to do now?" He asks and before she can answer there's a loud clap of thunder and rain starts coming down in buckets. He seems to have the same idea as her as he pulls her up and they take off towards the bike path. 

When they get to his car, they're both drenched and he reaches to peel a strand of her hair from her face but she knocks his hand away, clenches her fingers in his soaked shirt and yanks him towards her into a searing kiss. The soft surprised sound he makes is damn near enough to make her crawl in his lap but she stays where she is. 

His fingers are tangled in her wet hair, coming down from the bun she had it in in soaked waves. 

"Seatbelt." He says when he pulls away.

_ -/- _

"You sure you don't want something to change into?" He asks from the couch. They're at his house now, the clock stretches just after eleven and he's lit candles in case the power goes out. 

He's just as soaked as she is and yet he's telling her to change. 

"I'm fine." She assures him as she walks around his basement. It's definitely been renovated, wood panels are drilled over Stoney walls and the old cement floor is now hardwood to give it more of a cozy feeling. There's a black leather couch pushed against the wall, a large cushy rug underneath it. There's no tv she notices but she sees what she thinks is a projector sticking out of the ceiling and he  _ would  _ have one. She's standing off to the side, along a wall is a large bookshelf but in lieu of books, there are records there, organized by sleeve cover color. Because  _ of course, _ they are.

"How do you keep it so tidy down here?" She's lucky enough to keep the house clean for a day. 

"John doesn't come down here." He says.

"Why?"

"He thinks it's haunted," Francis says with a shrug and Mary quirks a brow as she looks over her shoulder at him. 

"Does he think the rest of the house is-"

"Nope."

"Kids are weird." She says as she turns back to the records. It's quiet while she fingers through them and she can feel his eyes on her, which makes her stomach dance. "Didn't peg you as a Bowie guy." She comments.

"Space Oddity is a national treasure." 

"More of a Prince person." She comments as she continues to shift. She can still feel his eyes on her, making her chest flutter and she chokes back a giggle as she taps at a cover, "The Beatles,  _ really _ ?" She jokes as she looks over her shoulder at him and quirks a brow. 

"You know most of those are my fathers." He tells her with a smirk.

" _ Suuuure. _ " 

"Are you going to make fun of me or are you going to sit with me?"

"Why can't I do both?"

"Because you're still standing over there." His voice makes her both roll her eyes and walk over, she plops down next to him with a sigh. 

"Do you spend a lot of time down here?" She asks when he hands her a glass of wine. 

"Not really." He tells her, "Just when John isn't here." 

"Do you bring a lot of dates down here?" 

"Just the one." She would find that hard to believe but he sounds very honest when he says it and Bash did say that Francis doesn't lie. She shifts awkwardly, her stomach doing that dumb flip flop thing it does when he looks at her.

"Oh." She breathes; or chokes, she isn't sure and brings her wine glass to her lips and sips. "How many siblings did you say you have?" She asks after a few seconds of silence.

"Too many."

"That's not a number."

"Am I counting Bash or no?"

"Is he your sibling?"

"Half."

"Same thing."

"You should tell my mother that." He says softly, almost sadly, but then he smiles a small smile.

"Does she not count him?"

"If she had it her way, he wouldn't exist."

"That's sad." Mary frowns and he just shrugs. "She doesn't sound like a nice person."

"Oh, she isn't." He tells her that quite seriously, "It takes a while for her to warm up to people." She doesn't say anything, instead, she just sets her glass down and tries not to shiver. The thunder is loud outside and the rain pours down in sheets. 

She shivers.

"I knew it!" He exclaims, "You're cold."

"I'm fine."

"Your clothes are wet." He tells her like his _ aren't also wet  _ as he stands. "I'll find you something dry."

"Your clothes are just as wet as mine."

"Mary."

"You can change and then I'll think about taking off mine." She argues, it's a really stupid argument, barely classifies as that. But she isn't staying much longer, just until the storm clears up, and then he'll take her home. There's really no point in-

Maybe it's the way she phrased it that has him looking at her like that. Like he's dying of hunger and she's a big juicy steak, but it makes her get up. It makes her cross the short distance between them, makes her surge forward and catches his lips.

The next few moments are fast, blurry, they somehow managed to make it to his room in record time. It's almost like she blinked and  _ boom  _ the bedroom door is shutting behind them. 

It's the first date, Mary, really?  _ Absolutely _ . They almost did it in a bathroom at a bar and they weren't even dating, all criticism can  _ take a seat. _

He pulls back suddenly, but not completely.

"Are...you sure?" He asks in a breath and she pushes him back, eyes on his and they don't leave even as she lifts the soaked fabric of her sweater over her head and tosses it with  _ thwat. _

He only scans her newly exposed skin momentarily before pulling her back against him. She laughs against his mouth when he picks her up with ease, her legs wrapping around his hips. 

She pretty much claws his shirt off when they reach the bed and he tosses her bra over his shoulder without even looking to see where it ended up. His lips only leave hers to breathe and that's only when their lungs are  _ burning _ . 

The lights flicker until they go out but they hardly notice.

_ -/- _

Staying the night wasn't the plan, it was only the first date, but she wakes up in his bed and groans against the sun's intrusion. She stretches her legs under the blanket and groans again when she finds that she's alone. She should probably get up, get dressed,  _ go home _ , but she's finding the task of getting out of bed difficult. 

"Morning." She doesn't even feel the mattress dip with his weight, but she does feel the soft kisses he presses to her shoulder all the way to her neck. She turns over, cracking her eyes open with a whine.

"What time is it?" She asks in a groggy voice as she watches him set a cup of something hot on the bedside table.

"Almost eight." He tells her as he runs the tips of his fingers lightly over the skin of her arm, "You slept like a rock."

"It's been a while since I've slept that well." She yawns as she stretches, arching off the bed before coming back down in a flop. 

"You're welcome." He whispers that against her ear and she pushes him away with a tired giggle.

"I have to go home soon." She can't pick up James wearing the same clothes she dropped him off in and she needs a shower. The confession makes him pout adorably.

"I was hoping I could keep you."

"Francis." 

"Fine." He grumbles, "I put your clothes in the dryer, they should be done soon. In the meantime." He smirks as he leans back in and this kiss is tired, soft and so very slow. She knows what he has in mind and she can't come up with a good argument as to why not, but the loud buzzing, of what could only be the dryer, interrupts his plans.

"The sooner I'm home, the better." She says as she pushes him back with her foot. He only frowns a little as he goes to retrieve her clothes and what feels like only a few seconds later, they’re standing on her porch and she’s shoving her key in the lock.

“Thanks for the ride.” She hums, doesn't realize how many ways that can be taken until he sputters a laugh. “ _ That _ is not what I meant!” She exclaims, her face heating up as it tends to do around him frequently. When he doesn’t stop laughing, she smacks him in the arm with an exasperated roll of her eyes. 

“You said it.”

“I meant…” She says, “A ride  _ home _ .” 

“Ooooh.” He nods, still smirking in that way that makes her stomach dance. “Right, got it.”   
“I’m going inside now.” She says quickly as she throws open the door and steps over the threshold, “Bye, Francis.”

“Bye.” He gives a small wave, “Call me.”

“I’ll think about it.” She says like it’s such an inconvenience and then she gives another wave as she closes the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this took so long to go up. I hope everyone is doing well.


	12. Chapter 12

Another day, another date. This one is only two weeks after the last one. She was worried he wouldn't ask her out again but after several late-night phone calls, he demanded she comes over so he could cook her dinner.

"What are you making?" She asks as he leads her to his kitchen. It's way bigger than hers could ever dream of being and as she's led over to the rounded island, she wonders how he can afford it. It's a tiled floor but it somehow blends seamlessly into the dark hardwood floor of the dining room that's separated by a large archway. The kitchen is lit solely by a crystal light fixture that hangs in the center of the ceiling above their heads looking elegant and somehow not nearly as luxurious as it should be. Everything is so neat.  _ How? _ The man has children, well just the one. She has one and her place constantly looks like a tornado blew through it. His place looks like a spread from a  _ better home and garden _ magazine, she didn't get much of a tour the last time she was here. 

They were a little _ busy. _

" _ We _ are making pasta primavera." He informs after adding the emphasis to  _ we  _ because even though she told him she wasn't a chef, he's intent on making her help. 

"Pasta  _ what? _ " She asks as he sets about grabbing the pots and pans necessary for making this...whatever it is.

"It's easy."

"It doesn't sound easy."

"That's because you've never made it."

"Do I look like I have time to cook?" She asks with a quirk of her brow, "James gets most of his meals from the frozen food aisle."

"My God, what are you feeding your child?" He asks, only half-joking as he walks past her with a smirk.

"At least he gets fed."

"Yes, a healthy microwaved plate of slush with a side of chemicals, family dinner at your place must be an absolute rager." 

"Haha." She laughs dryly. 

"Wash your hands." He instructs like she's one of her students and she'd be offended if it didn't damn well _ work _ . She goes to the sink with little argument.

"Where'd you learn to cook like this?" She asks when they're standing over a pot of boiling noodles on one burner and a pan full of popping oil and chopped veggies on the other. 

"My sister." He tells her as he refills her glass. The ice clinks over the hiss and bubbling of their cooking food. "Leeza. She owns a restaurant in Chicago with her husband."

"That's nice." Mary smiles a small smile as she takes a sip, "do you get to see her much?"

"Here and there." He shrugs. "She visits as much as she can." He stirs the pot of water slowly as she gives the pan a shake as he showed her, she doesn't do it with as much finesse as him.

"Is it done yet?" She asks when he starts to dump the water out of the pot and into the sink.

"Does it look done?" He asks with a smirk.

"Maybe."

"It's almost there." 

_ -/- _

Her dress is a bit of a mess by the time they're done. May have been because she accidentally threw a few noodles at him when she was aiming for the wall. She wanted to see if they would stick, like in the movies. You know, the cheesy romantic  _ made for tv _ movies that are always playing on Saturday nights. For the lonely single people who have nothing else to do.

"Stop throwing food." He scolded her but took liberty in throwing his own half-done noodles at her and then it was war and they were laughing as they successfully wasted about half their meal. 

"I wanted to see if it was done." She had pouted as he gently pulled one out of her hair. 

Now that they've eaten, drank a little, they're back in the kitchen and she swings her legs on the counter as she watches him clean. 

"Maybe I can cook for you sometime." She offers

"Cook? What delicacy will you be throwing in the microwave?" 

"Hey, you taught me something." She smiles gleefully at his face and he turns back to the sink with a shake of his head. Eventually, she jumps down from the counter and stands next to him at the sink as he dries his hands. The dishes have been scrubbed to a sparkle and she sways on her feet. 

"My dress is a mess."

"That's what you get for overdressing."

"Would you have preferred if I underdressed?"

"If you had shown up in nothing but a trench coat and heels, I wouldn't argue." He smirks, "You look fine." He says that less playfully and more seriously as he steps a little bit closer, arms circling her waist. 

"What do you wanna do now?" She asks with a little flirtiness.

"I don't know, what-" he doesn't get the question out on account of her grabbing hold of the fabric of his shirt and yanking him down to her mouth. Was it a little forceful?  _ Probably _ . But he's been toying with her the entire evening and it's her turn. It's a little bit needy because she's  _ missed  _ kissing him. It only grows needier when his hands fall to her hips and he starts moving her towards the counter, pushing her back on the surface.

"Francis," her voice is a bit breathy as she pulls away. He presses a softer kiss to the corner of her mouth before moving from her cheek down to the curve of her neck. Which makes the next thing she tells him comes out in a regretful whine. 

"I can't stay." She breathes but it doesn't make him stop. "I promised James..." She closes her eyes, " _ Something _ ." She's having a difficult time remembering what that promise was now that his hand has reached around to pull the zipper of her dress down. The feeling of the tips of his fingers gliding down her spine is making her press herself to him more firmly. 

"I can't stay." 

"I heard you." He assures her softly, "but I also couldn't help but notice you're not wearing a bra. So forgive me if I want to focus on that first." He presses a soft kiss to her lips and she sighs against them as she wraps her arms around his neck. They stay like that, just breathing each other in, taking their time, until her sighs turn to soft whines and he's pressed firmly between her legs. 

"I like this dress." He hums when he pulls away with a smirk, "I particularly like what's under it." He whispers that in her ear as he slides her underwear down her legs in a dreadfully slow manner. In a manner that makes her want to do it her damn self but he distracts her with another dizzying kiss that makes her entire body glitch.

"Can't...stay." She whispers when he pulls back. Her eyes pop open when she hears the clink of ice against the glass just in time to see him pluck a half-melted cube out of it.

"Yes, yes, I know. Hush." He smirks, "Close your eyes." He says that in a softer tone and when she doesn't he presses a small kiss to her mouth. 

"What are you doing with that-"

"You'll find out if you close your eyes." He tells her and she shifts a little before letting them close. 

"This is the part where you kill me?" She questions. It's a joke, maybe a dumb one but she's just trying to fill the silence and calm the butterflies in her stomach. They've burst into flames, they're turning into ash. She isn't sure if they flutter out of nerves or excitement anymore but the longer he's quiet, the worse it gets.

He ignores the joke. 

"One of the things I most regretted about our first night together." He pauses as he pushes the skirt of her dress up with just the tip of his fingers, he does it with one hand and she helps him. 

"Is that we didn't get to take our time." He continues, "So, I intend to take my time with you." He adds in something softer but what he does as he says it that makes her gasp. He runs the cold ice lightly over the bare skin of her inner thigh. He's probably wearing one of those delicious smirks at the way she shudders at the feeling. 

"Are you okay with that?" He asks and it takes her a long stretch of silence to get enough strength to answer in something more than a breathy whisper. 

"I...yes." 

"Alright." He smiles, "Just relax." She nods with a hard swallow and then she doesn't feel him in front of her anymore. He still moves the ice wherever he wants and she doesn't know what his intentions are with it, but she assumes she's still not allowed to open her eyes. So, she keeps them squeezed shut as her heart rams into her chest in excited beats. 

She gasps loudly when she feels his lips on her thigh, where he had the ice, which is gone now but the cold still lingers. She feels him chuckle against her skin as he presses open-mouthed kisses agonizingly slow up the inside of her thigh. His lips are  _ scorching  _ compared to the cold that was there before. Ah,  _ that's _ what the ice was for, he wanted her to really feel what he was doing. Her breathing is deep and shaking and her fingers are anchored to the edge of the countertop hard enough for them to hurt. 

_ Would it be too soon to propose? _

Yes. 

He's further up her thigh now, soft kisses turn to playful bites that make her gasp or whimper as he pulls her skin between his teeth. 

_ -/- _

"Can you do that again?" She asks when they're spent and sweaty and she's lying on her stomach in his bed, a pleasant sleepy feeling creeping up behind her eyes. 

"Do what?" He asks innocently as he runs his knuckles down the ridges of her spine and then back up, tracing her shoulder blade with the tip of his finger lightly and then repeating the pattern.

"You know what." She smiles, "The thing in the kitchen."

"Wasn't aware that you liked it."

"Bull." She giggles. If his neighbors didn't know his name before they sure do now. She sighs as she shifts to get more comfortable, despite her continued insistence that she's  _ not  _ staying. 

"How do you feel about more kids?" He asks suddenly and her eyes pop open at the question, stomach twisting.

"Huh?"

"I just figured since we're...doing the thing that makes them-"

"Second date."

"Yes and we were in bed together by the first. I hardly think it matters."

"Um."

"It's just a question." 

"I know."

"Then why aren't you answering it?" He asks, watching her turn over on her side to look at him.

"It seems a little soon to be talking about kids, Francis." She tells him as she swings her legs over the side of the bed, plucking her dress off the floor and pulling it on. 

"Don't leave." He reaches.

"I told you I can't stay." She says softly as she pulls on her heels and gestures at her opened back, "Can you-" his reply is him yanking her zipper up slowly. 

"I can retract the question if it'll stop you from leaving." He tells her softly but she just gives him a small smile as she leans down to kiss him lightly.

"I can't stay." She feels like she's told him over one hundred times tonight and he should know that she would be leaving his bed eventually. The question may have sped up the process but he doesn't need to know that.

She doesn't say anything else as she exits his room.

_ -/- _

"James!" She calls as she walks down the hall the next morning, "Are you rea-" she's interrupted by a fully dressed James breezing past her from his room.

"Do you think dad will be happy to see me?" 

"I think he'll be ecstatic." She smiles a small smile as she grabs her keys and pulls on her coat. She helps a bouncy and excited James into his own and then they're off.

The rehab center is two hours away so it's a bit of a lengthy drive. 

"James can you..." she gestures at her phone as it rings in a cup holder. 

"Who's Francis?" He asks and she grabs it, clicking the reject call button and then shutting the thing off. 

"No one."

"Then why did you react like that?"

"Because today is about you." She says with a sweet smile, "no distractions." He's quiet for a little while and then.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"James."

"Why was he calling you?" He asks and she sighs deeply before turning to a different road. 

"A friend." She tells him.

"Do I know him?" He sees him every day but he doesn't need to know that. Not yet anyway, she has a feeling he won't take the news that his mother has been sleeping with his teacher well.

"James." Her tone a bit more serious, a warning to stop asking her questions he doesn't need the answers to. He quiets down and instead chooses to look out the window and they spend the rest of the drive in silence.

The room for visitors is pretty big and there are games, a place to draw, even a vending machine. She isn't expecting to see Darnley's mother standing by his table, the two locked in what appears to be a heated discussion. 

"Dad!" James shouts as he rushes over to him, propelling his small body to his father's arms. 

"Hey!" Darnley laughs as he hugs him tight and then he looks at Mary and his smile falters a bit as he steps over to her. It's an awkward hug but she lets him pull her in for a quick embrace and then it's back to keeping her at arm's length. 

"Lyn." Mary greets the woman softly and she gives a tight smile in return.

"It was nice of you to bring James." She says, "Darnley has been going on and on about how much he misses  _ his _ son." Mary knew the jab was coming, but a jab is a jab and it stings just the same. She keeps a smile on her face though, she doesn't want to alarm James.

"We can play a game later, first I want to hear all about you. How is school?" Darnley is asking James questions as they sit.

_ -/- _

"You look good." Mary compliments once they're alone, Lyn has taken James somewhere for something to eat and now her and Darnley are alone together for the first time since he signed the papers.

"Thanks." He says softly, "You...look good too." He adds in a softer voice and then he squints at her, "Is it the newfound sobriety or do you look different?"

"Nothing has changed." 

"Did you get a haircut?" He asks.

"No."

"New shirt?"

"No."

"You're seeing someone." He says like he found the answer and she wonders how his brain went from  _ new shirt _ to  _ You got a boyfriend _ but it's Darnley and his mind is an odd one.

"No." 

"Yes, you are." 

"Darnley-"

"Mary, you're notorious for being a terrible liar," Darnley says with an amused grin as he sips at his water and leans back in his chair. "Who is it?"

"Um-"

"Does James know?"

"No."

"You should probably keep it that way for a while." He says softly, "Is it someone we know?"

"I...um." she scratches behind her ear, he seems to be taking the news well enough but she isn't sure if he'll take it as well once he finds out who it is. "I shouldn't..."

"Mary." He nudges her foot under the table, "Spill it. I want to be friends, friends talk about things."

"We used to be married." She says, "It isn't weird to you?"

"We were forced to marry because you got pregnant, we didn't even have a wedding. It was real on paper but did it ever feel real to you?" 

"Is that why it was so easy for you to cheat on me?" She asks softly, she doesn't meet his eyes. 

"I loved you." He says, "I still do. But I was never in love with you, it all happened too fast." She's quiet, "Were you ever in love with me?" He never made her feel the way Francis makes her feel. She thinks the answer is no, they were kids who were dumb and got caught in a bad situation. Kids from traditional family backgrounds, kids whose parents would never accept a child born out of wedlock.

It was over before it really started. They didn't stand a chance. 

So, she shakes her head.

"I tried to." She says softly, "Seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but no I was never in love with you." They would have been better off as friends she thinks, kind of like how Francis and Lola are. The two didn't see a future beyond that one time and refused to be anything more than what they already were. And now Lola is engaged to someone she truly loves and Francis...

_ Francis has been calling her. _

"Are you going to tell me who you're dating or is this the part where I guess?"

"Darnley."

"Just tell me before James comes back."

"Francis." She says in a quick whisper.

"Francis?" He questions and then his face does a thing, a thing that makes her stomach twist. "Shut that down right now."

"No?"

"Mary you can't date our son's teacher!" He says that loudly and she shushes him as other people in the room turn to look in curiosity.

"Why?"

"James doesn't like change." He says, "And good lord, it's inappropriate as hell."

"Almost as inappropriate as you and the nanny in the coat closet?" She questions with a scowl, "he doesn't know and he isn't going to!"

"Mary, this can only end badly." He says slowly, "His teacher? Really!?"

" _ Syphilis _ ." She snaps, "And don't tell me what's inappropriate, not after everything you've done."

"I was intoxicated for most of it."

"Keyword, _ most _ ." 

"Mary-"

"No, you don't get to tell me who I can and cannot date." She hisses just as James and Lyn come back with food. James doesn't notice the tension, but Lyn does and she narrows her eyes at Mary as she sits down. 

The rest of the day is spent chatting and trying to have fun, playing board games until an orderly comes to tell them that visiting hours are over.

"Can we come back next weekend?" James asks as he holds her hand in the parking lot.

"We'll see." She says softly.

_ -/- _

She doesn't know why she keeps ignoring his calls, but she does. She always finds herself right in the middle of something when her phone rings. She tells herself she'll call him back but she doesn't. 

"He asked me if I wanted more kids and...I don't know. I froze." She tells Greer as they walk through the park, Greer pushing the stroller with a little Rose inside.

"Do you?" She asks as she adjusts the blanket over the baby. She'd never given it much thought, so she shrugs. It's not something they should even be thinking about or discussing. 

"It...just...it feels too soon." She says softly and Greer nods as she walks, linking her arm with Mary's eventually.

Greer decides on a whim to go with her to pick up James from school and she bounces Rose on her hip as she walks down the hall with her. 

"You're gonna go here someday." Greer coos as she brushes back Rose's dark curls and the baby toys with her hair. Lola is walking out with John and James when they approach. 

"Stole your kid, Haha-  _ oh my god _ , a baby." Lola gasps as she takes a break from taunting Mary to head straight for the little thing on Greer's hip.

"Oh, Mary, the teacher would like a word with you." Lola teases with a wiggle of her eyebrows. James and John pay them no mind and just go into wow look at that baby mode. 

"I can wait here." Greer nods nudging Mary towards the door. 

"Have a seat." Francis says when she comes in, "And close the door, please." She closes it with a soft click and then she just stands there. 

"Am I in trouble?" She asks, "Are you going to give me detention, Mr. Valois?" She asks in a light and flirty tone that makes him squint at her from his desk.

"It's like you have no recollection of ignoring me the last few days." He says, "Much like you're ignoring the part where I told you to have a seat."

"Francis."

"Come. Here.  _ Now _ ." He insists and okay if he told her to burn down her own house with that tone she can't say that she would hesitate. She's next to him in a flash with no recollection of taking the steps and then she's lowering herself in a chair beside him. He doesn't say anything else at the moment, he just turns back to his papers and goes back to what he was doing, twirling a red ink pen between his fingers. 

"So...um..." she spins in her swivel chair as she waits for him to say something.

"Stop spinning." 

"Yes sir." She says quickly, stopping abruptly as she bounces her knee and drums her fingers on the arms of her chair. "So-"

"Hush." He says, turns a page of the essay he's grading. Well, this is torture. Does he do this to everyone? How many times has one of his students had to sit here after school and wait for whatever lecture he felt was necessary to give them.

It's only succeeding in making her squirm. Which in hindsight, maybe what he wants.

"My son-"

"Sh." 

"But he's wait-"

"You can speak when spoken to until then be quiet." He hums, "He's going home with Lola, don't worry."

"But-" 

"Mary, I won't ask again." He makes a few marks with his pen and flips another page. She doesn't know what that entails but she kind of wants to find out. Besides she can mess with him too, if he wants to pretend she isn't sitting here, she can make sure he remembers that she is.

"Lola said you wanted to talk." She says softly as she moves her chair a little closer to him, "Are you going to talk to me or no?" She asks, her hand finds his knee and he doesn't react. "I'm not really good at the whole talking thing." She admits softly, "We could do something else if you want." She adds in something softer, flirty as she moves her hand up his thigh and that's when he moves. 

"Why wouldn't you answer my calls?" He asks when he catches her hand and pulls it away gently. "I'd give you the benefit of the doubt if you had at least let the phone ring until it went to voicemail, but sending me straight to voicemail after two rings? You saw it was me. Why?"

Oh wait, he's actually a little bit angry with her and that makes the playful nature die down and a sting takes its place. 

"I'm sorry." She says softly as she pulls her hand out of his and lets it fall in her lap. 

"You left so suddenly and then wouldn't return my calls..."

"I took James to see Darnley." She says softly. "I should have called you back, I..." but then Darnley said those things and she wasn't in the mood to call anyone, especially Francis. 

"You saw Darnley?"

"Yeah..."

"He said something, didn't he?" He asks as he pulls her chair back towards him, looking at her sympathetically. 

"He didn't take it well, told me to end this before James finds out..."

"Mary-"

"And you asked me that question before and I was already freaking out. I'm sorry, Fra-" her apology is cut short by his mouth finding hers. Maybe this means her apology is accepted, maybe it means he won't ask her about kids again until  _ a lot later _ but she smiles against his lips and kisses him back.

"Mom?" Is a small voice that hits her ears and she shoves Francis as hard as she can. James is at the door, open now and Lola's sputtering an apology, something about him not wanting to go without saying bye and she tried to stop him.

"James." She says softly as she takes in his face. What does she say,  _ it's not what it looked like? _ He looks...upset. 

Of course, he is, he just walked in on his teacher making out with his  _ mother _ . 

She stands when he turns to leave. 

"James!" She shouts after him, "I have to..." She tells Francis as she grabs her purse and he just nods like he gets it. 

"What happened?" Greer joins her in the hallway with Rose, "I was changing her. Why are you-"

"James caught me with Francis. I have to go."

_ -/- _

He hasn't talked to her since they got in the car, he's quiet when he's upset. He didn't even look before crossing the parking lot, Mary had to practically tackle him to keep him meeting the business end of a truck.

"James, we need to talk." She tries a more assertive approach as she follows him down the hall towards his room.

"Ja-" Her scold is cut off by the slamming of his door and she takes a deep breath before knocking hard against the wood. "Open the door." 

"Go away!"

"James." She says through clenched teeth, "Don't make me start counting."

"I don't want to talk to you!" He shouts that. 

"Don't talk to me like that." She snaps harshly, "Open this door right now, James or I swear to god."

"Please just go away..." That's softer, sadder, and her stomach twists with guilt as she tries to take a breath and calm down. "I want my dad." 

"James..."

"Leave me alone!" And he's back to shouting and she thinks she should wait until later to talk to him. So she turns down the hall and she waits.

"How's James?" Francis asks a few hours later and she folds her legs under herself on the couch, pressing the phone to her ear. 

"He hasn't come out of his room and I'm pretty sure he moved his dresser in front of it to keep me out. So." 

"He'll come around."

"Darnley warned me." She says softly with a shake of her head, "He was right. James is not taking this well."

"At least he knows."

"How is John?" She asks. He saw it too. 

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Mary, his parents were never together. Lola has Julien, I have you. He's used to it." 

"Nice to know he's more supportive." She scoffs. "I'm gonna have to force him out."

"Don't do that." He says quickly, "Let him come out on his own."

"I think I have an answer to the more kids thing." She jokes, "Hell. No." He laughs softly.

"Well." He hums, "Here's hoping that's subjective to change." 

"Francis."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I freaked out." She says softly.

"That's alright." He says, "I just wish you had stayed. I wasn't near done with you yet." She swallows hard. Maybe chokes a tiny bit.

" _ Aha _ ...hanging up now." 

"Bye Mary." 

"Byyyee." She smiles a small smile and then she hangs up and cranes her head towards the hall, James' door is still firmly shut. She rises from the couch.

"Jaaammmmeeeessss!" She yells for him in a sweet tone, "Will you be eating dinner tonight or-"

"I'm not hungry." He answers. At least he's  _ conscious  _ and she sighs heavily.

"You have to eat." She groans when he doesn't answer but she can hear him in there, shifting on his bed. "Please?" It's going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. If you have any ideas for after this please tell me. It would be a huuuuge help! :)


	13. Chapter 13

James has been refusing to go to school and she feels like she's fighting a losing battle at this point. All he wants to do is be angry with her. She understands, she did leave his father rather suddenly, move him far enough away, lock his father up, and was caught making out with his teacher. She gets it. That doesn't mean she has to like it.

"I'm begging." She insists through the boys' bedroom door, the only way she can talk to him because he keeps shutting her out. It's almost seven and at this rate, they'll both be late. He's already missed two days.

"I don't-"

"I know you don't want to go, James, but you have to. Now get dressed before I come in and make you." She says it a little too harshly but, he hasn't been the nicest to her the last few days. It's quiet, she doesn't hear the rustling of little feet, the opening of a dresser drawer and her hand wraps around the cold doorknob and she throws the barrier open.

He's in a small ball on the edge of his bed, the blanket pulled over his little body and she hears the soft sniffling that makes her heart break. 

"James." She tries a sweeter approach as she crosses the small space between them, sits on the foot of the bed, and attempts to pull the blanket back but he has it clutched between his fingers like it's the only thing keeping him on earth.

"I don't want to see him..." He's talking about Francis. Someone he used to adore but now any thought of the man makes him angry. He probably won't be a pleasure to have in class today or however long this lasts.

"John misses you."

"I don't care." She can tell by his voice that he  _ does _ .

"James." She says softly, as soothingly as possible. He doesn't budge though, he stays in his tight ball, under his blankets and he ignores her. "I have to go to work, I don't have anyone I can call to watch you. You have to go to school." 

"Mom-"

"Please." She doesn't have time to argue with him so the please is only a formality. After a moment of silence, the little thing finally moves and she has enough time to get a granola bar in him, and then they're off to school.

_ -/- _

"You'll have to apologize to your teacher for being late," Mary says as she follows James down the hall, which is brightly lit and quiet aside from the voices inside the classrooms. They're not too late, most of the kids inside are still putting their things away and finding their seats.

"Fine." Is the only response she gets from her adoring son before he zips through the open door and out of her sight. 

"I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure school starts at eight, James." She hears Francis playfully scold.

"Oops." Is James' reply and she could march in there and yell at him right now if she wanted to but she doesn't. 

Francis doesn't say anything to that, though she's sure he probably gave him a look and then let it slide  _ for now. _ She's just about to turn and leave when he finds her as he's starting to close the door.

"Oh, I have something for you since you're still here." He says simply and then pulls a small blue slip of paper out of a folder taped to the wall. He signs it quickly, with a quick shush over his shoulder as the room full of kids starts to buzz. Apparently, since he's not looking, he can't hear them. 

"A tardy slip, really?" She arches a brow at him when he hands it over, "He's like two minutes late-"

"Five minutes, actually." He hums and he holds his pen out to her with a smirk.

"Can't you just...you know,  _ not _ ?"

"Ms. Stuart." He's serious. She sighs heavily and takes the pen with a roll of her eyes. 

"There." She hands it back once she's signed. 

"This is one, if he gets two more it's an automatic detention." He explains as he tucks it in the folder. "Did you think just because you're my girlfriend he gets special treatment? My son follows the same rules as everyone else-"

"Right. Right- wait, your what?"

"Have a nice day," Francis says as he closes the door and leaves her in the hall. 

_ Girlfriend _ . He said,  _ girlfriend _ . The word makes her stomach start to flutter.

_ -/- _

Francis doesn't normally call her while they're both working but he catches her on her lunch break and it sends alarm bells screaming in her head.

"What happened?" She asks through a choke on some potato salad. 

"Nothing, are you okay?" Francis asks once she's done with her coughing fit and has successfully downed three-fourths of her water bottle.

"Fine, I wasn't expecting you to call."

"And the shock nearly killed you?"

"Francis, what?"

"I just wanted to talk to you, but if you're busy-"

"No." She says quickly as she grabs a napkin, "Um, okay talk."

"Sorry about this morning."

"You were just doing your job." She says softly as she leans back in her chair, "You...called me your girlfriend..." she adds softly.

"Is that not what you are?" He asks, "Is that not what you wan-"

"No, I...it just felt sudden. So casual."

"I know you're used to Darnley but not everything has to be complicated." He tells her, "Besides, after what happened in my kitchen the other day I definitely think you should be considered my girlfriend." He adds that more quietly and she swallows hard as a blush takes over her entire body. 

" _ Working _ ." She says after a clearing of her throat.

"So am I."

"Well, you should be using extra caution with a room full of children."

"They're having lunch right now, so my room is empty." He says on a sigh, "I can say whatever I want."

"Hm." She hums softly as she tosses the napkin she balled up in her hand and had been holding onto like a lifeline. 

"Like how  _ delicious _ you look in that tight skirt."

"Stop." 

"Did you undo an extra button on your blouse to torment me today? Because it's working." 

"Francis, stop it."

"Make me." He challenges, with a smirk no doubt and she could very well just hang up, but she doesn't. She just clicks her tongue against her teeth.

"I was in a hurry, must have missed a button." She explains playfully.

"Tragic." He jokes and then he's quiet and she can hear the slight stroke of a pen and the turn of a page. "Oh, I had a suggestion."

"About?"

"The dilemma with James."

"Has he been bad today?"

"Quiet. Broody. I catch him glaring sometimes."

"I'm sorry."

"I can take it, Mary." He assures her softly, "What about a sleepover?"

"Sleepover."

"My place, with John." He says, "He really only knows me as his teacher, an authority figure."

"I don't know." She says softly.

"You can stay over too if you're nervous about it."

"Um. No." She says, "I know how  _ that  _ would end."

"With your toes curling and that gorgeous back of yours arching, probably." He says casually like that's supposed to make her  _ warm up _ to the idea.

"Precisely, and James can't see that. He'll never forgive me."

"Mary." He's serious now, "He has to see us together at some point or he won't be okay with it. And he has to get to know me  _ outside  _ of school."

"We can...we can try..." she says softly.

_ -/- _

"I don't know how to breach the subject." She says over the phone the next day, she's watching James flip through a coloring book at the kitchen table. 

"Literally just ask him if he wants to have a sleepover with John," Francis says it just as low as she does, not that he has to hide his phone conversations with her from John. 

"What if he says no?"

"Then we shoot for next weekend."

"And if he still says no?"

"Then you better let me kiss you next time we see each other or I will surely perish." He says it in a way that makes her eyes roll and she shakes her head. 

"No kissing with my kid around."

"This sleepover is going to suck."

"Uh, I'm not coming over until they're asleep."

"Did you wanna climb in my window and raid the liquor cabinet while you're at it?" He asks dryly. "You're coming over when they're awake."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes." He says with more authority, more sternness and she swallows. 

"We'll see."

"What are you so worried about?" He asks a bit more seriously and she shrugs.

"I moved him away from his father." She says softly, "And then only a few days after I put him in a rehab facility, James caught us. I don't want him to think that I am trying to replace Darnley with...you."

"Quite the revelation."

"Hm."

"I'm not his father." He says simply, "I'm not trying to be."

"I know."

"Okay. So." He sighs, "Though we can admit I am improvement from Darnley in so  _ many departments _ ." She rolls her eyes at the obvious  _ innuendo  _ and just chooses to ignore it because while it's _true_ , she doesn't want to encourage him. 

"Whatever."

"Did you ask him yet?"

"No." James is still at the table coloring in his book and she's still speaking softly and trying to be discreet.

"Oh!" He says suddenly, "What if John does it?" 

"Um-"

"He's adorable, it's impossible to say no to him." She decides to just give it a try and to her surprise, he says yes.

So, that Friday she helps him pack an overnight bag, just some clothes, and an extra blanket. All the while trying to stall her nerves, he's never stayed at a friend's house before, at another child's. 

"You have to be good." She tells him as they get out of the car and he's far ahead of her at this point. "And  _ nice _ ." She reiterates when she catches up. He had the courtesy to wait on the stone steps for her as she slings his bag over her shoulder.

"I know."

"And...and if you want to come home-"

"I know." He says softly, it's only the fiftieth time she's said it. At least he isn't glaring anymore. She follows him up the steps and the door opens, before she can even knock, to a very excited John waiting for them.

"You guys are early," Francis says when he comes to the door, stepping aside to let James run off with John without so much as a  _ bye mom. _

"Yeah." She says softly, "um here's his bag." She holds it out for him, feeling a little weird. She isn't sure how to act around him when their kids are around, so she ends up swaying awkwardly. 

"His. But where is yours?" Francis asks with a tilt of his head. "I know we've made a bit of a habit of not packing one when you come over  _ anyways _ , but it might be a little inappropriate with the children."

"I'm...I'm not staying." She says softly, "I uh...I have a thing."

"A thing?"

"Yes."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No."

"You're being suspicious."

"I assure you, I'm not."

"You are though." He says with a squint and then he looks over his shoulder for a second and then he closes the door as he steps out on the porch. "Mary, what's going on?" He asks this seriously and she wrings her hands, fidgets with her fingers, swallows hard. 

"I have a bad feeling." She says softly, "I don't know why." She tells him in a heavy breath. She can't explain this feeling to him, she doesn't even understand it herself. She feels as though the world will end tonight. 

Francis just gives her a worried look before stepping closer.

"James will be fine." He says softly soothingly, "I know what I'm doing. My line of work should confirm that for you. Now, go home and pack a bag, please because it's two against one and one of them hates me."

"He can't stay all weekend. I'm taking him to see Darnley tomorrow."

"Alright."

"Okay." She says softly. 

_ -/- _

Darnley doesn't answer when she calls and while that would usually worry her, he's probably with one of the guidance counselors. 

She ends up not showing up back at Francis' until a little later than he probably had in mind. But, hey, she's here.

"Are you calling to cancel? I expected you a few hours ago." He says when he picks up the phone.

"I was actually wondering which window I should climb in." She says with a sigh, "Lest you want me to end up in John's room,  _ that  _ might be a bit scarring for the kids though."

"No climbing, Ms. Stuart, use the door like a civilized human being." 

"You're no fun." She pouts, "Fine." She huffs and then she hangs up. 

It looks like a tornado blew through his living room and she gapes as she sets her bag down and hangs her coat.

There's...stuff everywhere. 

"What uh...what happened?"

"The children."

"Exploded?" She asks with an amused smile, which he meets with a glare. He drops the plastic thing he was holding and motions for her to come here.

Which works. Because Francis is Francis and she ends up in front of him.

"Where are-"

"Asleep."

"This early?" She asks with a quirk of her brow.

"I told you I'm good with kids."

"You di-" He kisses her before she can get the words out. It's fervant and fast and dizzying and if he wasn't holding her she would have surely fallen over. She giggles when she pulls back, pushing gently on him when he tries to go back in.

"Breathing." She says, "That came out of nowhere."

"It's been two weeks, I was practically dying." He laughs and then he grabs her hand and he starts to pull her somewhere.

"Hey, the mess!" She says as he pulls her away from the wreckage that is his living room.

"It'll still be a mess later."

_ -/- _

"So, are they like in purgatory?" She asks. They're in his basement and she's lying on her back with her head in his lap. The lights are off and the only light is the projector, which she had a lot of fun watching him put together and he even let her feed the film through. 

"No, where did you get that idea?" It's only the thousandth annoying question she's asked him during the full thirty minutes they've spent watching this movie. 

"I have no idea what's going on."

"That's because you're not watching, you're asking silly questions."

"So Ilsa's married?"

"Yes."

"But the other guy loves her?"

"Mhm."

"...But he doesn't...make a move?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because-  _ watch the movie _ ." His insistence makes her giggle and she sits up from his lap to settle next to him. After a while, she does finally get into the movie, _Casablanca_ , of course, because she's never seen it and they get to the part where Ilsa threatens to shoot Rick but the fight ends in a crying embrace.

"I think she should have shot him," Mary says casually.

"Mary. What?"

"He had the letters!"

"So he deserves a bullet?" He's looking at her like she's crazy and the most beautiful thing he has ever seen in his life.

"They don't end up together anyway."

"Because he let her go, not because she shot him, good lord."

"HE LET HER WHAT-"

"Please shut up." He says softly but the smirk tells her he isn't as annoyed as he may sound. He does turn her head back to the screen when she glares at him. Again, she settles and allows herself to be sucked into the black and white, kinda flimsy, extravagantly acted, the world of  _ Casablanca _ . It's good, she just isn't used to its simplicity. There are no big movie productions, no special effects, she has no idea who any of these people even are. She makes it ten minutes.

"Hey, Francis."

"Yes?"

"Are all of these people dead?" It's barely above a whisper, she knows the answer is probably yes.

"It was almost eighty years ago." He tells her with a nod, "So yeah. Most, if not all."

"So, we're watching a bunch of ghosts?" She whispers, "Wait, that's really sad..."

"I assure you, they lived long, happy lives."

"Okay but we're still watching dead people." She says softly. He chooses not to acknowledge that he just swallows the laugh she  _ knows _ he was fighting and shakes his head. She sighs as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"So, when it's over do you wanna make out?" She asks after a few seconds of silence. 

Apparently they don't have to wait because next thing she knows, he's pulling her in his lap so her knees straddle his hips.

"I can't see the movie now." She teases.

"You weren't watching it anyway." He teases back.

"I wa-" He grabs the back of her head and pulls her down to his mouth. The rest of the movie is Lost on both of them, just the sound of " _ La Marseillaise _ " playing over them and the credits rolling over Mary's bareback.

_ -/- _

"Nice PJ's." Francis teases when she finishes changing, quirking a brow at the light blue shorts and matching shirt- with tiny rubber ducks all over.

"I like them." She pouts as she pulls the blankets back. "James got them for me for Mother's Day when he was two." They're speaking in soft tones, Francis locked the door but she's still terrified that one of the boys will burst through it. Or the slightest noise would wake James and they'd be back to square one.

And finding his mother in bed with his teacher would go over  _ worse  _ than the kissing.

"Cute." His teasing smirk is replaced with a small smile as he sets whatever he was flipping through on the nightstand and pulls the blanket around her. 

"Are you annoyed I didn't take your movie too seriously?"

"No."

"We can watch it again."

"Alright." He says softly as he traces the lines on the palm of her hand. 

"James has been good?"

"Yes." He nods, "Better. We'll see what happens tomorrow when you come over for breakfast." 

"I can't stay long tomorrow-"

"I know." He says as he settles next to her. She can barely see him in the dark but he keeps a hand on her waist. She's the one who leans in first. She only meant for it to be a small kiss, a peck really, but she isn't surprised when it turns into something else. 

She pushes against him when he tries to crawl over her, a firm shake of her head and glance at the door.

"Francis, we can't-"

"Yes, we can." He whispers with a soft kiss to her mouth and then her cheek and down to her neck. "We just have to be quiet."

"I-"

"Quiet." He's already popped the buttons of her top and starts a slow descent of kisses down. "Quiet." He says when she tries and fails to make another protest but eventually she just relaxes and lets him do what he does best. 

"Daddy!" Is a small shout from another room and she tries not to laugh at the groan that elicits from Francis. 

"I think you're being summoned." 

"Don't move." He tells her and just to drive her a little nuts, he runs his hands over her legs and up to her hips and then backs down again. Even though they're still clothed, it sets a small fire in her stomach. 

"I will be right back." He adds as he bumps his nose against hers.

"Daaaaaaaddddd!" Is another shout. 

"I'm comiiiinnngggg!" He shouts back, only it's in her neck and right by her ear which makes her jerk but also laughs at how dramatic it sounded. 

"You better go." She giggles as she pushes him off and he groans as he rolls off the bed. Then he's on his feet and headed for the door.

"Stay." He reiterates and then he's leaving the room and she can hear his feet hit the floor as he heads down the hall.

_ -/- _

"Maryyyy." His voice is sweet as he pokes her all over. She groans as she curls away from him, pulling the blanket up to her nose, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to tune him out. She's very tired. They didn't sleep much.

She's pretty sure he's a sex addict.

"Wake up." He says and the poking turns into playful shakes. "Rise and shine."

"No." She groans pitifully.

"I thought you'd want to be up and  _ dressed  _ before the boys because  _ someone  _ doesn't want to be seen with me."

"Shhh. Sleeping." She says on a sigh. It's his fault, she isn't an early riser already but it's worse when he wouldn't let her go to sleep until well into the night.

"Fine." He says softly and maybe she should have known, or read more into that but she lets her body relax, and let's sleep start to trickle back in- she's met with a pillow slamming down over her torso. 

"Francis!" She hisses as she shoots up, tearing the pillow away from him but he just looks at her like he's the most innocent thing in the universe. 

"Someone is not a morning person." He teases with a lift of his golden brows and she tells her eyes with a flop back on the bed.

"Maryyyyyy"

"What?"

"Hi." He settles next to her. She wants to both smack him and kiss him. She turns over to look at him. "They're still sleeping, so if you want to make a break for it." He jokes. She just scoots closer and catches his lips. She keeps it soft and slow.

"I like waking up next to you." He whispers when she pulls away but he keeps his arm wrapped around her so can't go too far. 

"Me too." She whispers back, "I have to take James to see Darnley."

"I know."

"So I should probably go." 

"Probably." He whispers but he just keeps kissing her, small and slow kisses that make her wish she could stay here forever and ever. 

"And..." She's having a hard time coming up with reasons to leave with his hands all over her like they are. He just keeps kissing her, each one getting longer and more intense, needy. 

"And?" He questions before kissing her again and again and again until she reaches between them and is delighted to find that he's just as ready as she is. 

He pulls her over him without breaking the kisses.

_ -/- _

"I want to hear more about your teacher friend." Her mother says as she fills Mary's fridge with the leftovers from her place she didn't want. She came home an hour ago, showered, changed, and then found her mom in her kitchen like she lives here. 

James is home now too.

"He's...great."

"Hm." She hums as she bends to put a large container of something in the fridge. "Well, I do hope you're being careful."

"Mom,  _ ew _ ."

"Using protection." She hums back with an arch of her brow and it isn't phrased like a question but she's sure it is.

"Y-yeah."

"Mary." She squints at her  _ grown adult _ of a daughter and Mary scratches behind her ear awkwardly.

"Most...of the time." She says softly and her mom sends a plastic bowl covered in foil on the counter so she can shoot daggers at her.

" _ Mary Stuart. _ " She scolds with a glare and she feels like a little kid again as she steps back. "You need to be careful. You  _ have  _ to be careful."

"It's fiiiinnneee-"

"You just got a divorce, James has barely gotten used to you and Francis being an item, you can't get pregnant."

"Okay-"

"Mary-"

"I won't!"

"You better not." She mutters, "I will not have a repeat of Darnley." She says as she places the bowl in the fridge and all Mary can think is that Francis isn't Darnley.

Her mother turns to start another lecture and her phone, mercifully, starts to ring. 

"What?" She asks as she walks to another room, not bothering to see who it was, "Was this morning not enough?"

"Okay, ew." Darnley's voice is the one that reaches her ear, _ not  _ Francis. 

"Sorry I thought you were...that you were-"

"Yeah, no, just- I'm not commenting." He says quickly, "There's something I have to tell you."

"Okay..."

"I know why James didn't take your uh...boyfriend well." 

_ -/- _

She'd go to her house but it's too far away, so she just takes James to Darnley like she was planning to do. Hopefully, she'll make an appearance, if not she'll just get a nasty voicemail. 

She's seething when they go in when they find Darnley next to his mother. 

"I already talked to her." He says quietly in her ear when she sends daggers straight to Lynn.

"Don't care, it's my turn." She says simply and she sends a smile to James as he gives her a confused little look, which is soon wiped away when Darnley whips out a puzzle.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Mary hisses when she and Lynn find another room to  _ talk _ , far from James. "Why would you tell James that Darnley and I are getting back together?!"

"I merely told the boy that I hope to see you two reconcile now that Darnley is better."

"You don't even like me."

"I don't like you." She agrees, "But I love my son  _ and  _ my grandson. Forgive me if I believe that a family should remain under the same roof. A child should not be split between two people like a candy bar."

"That is not your decision to make if Darnley and I believe we don't work together, then it isn't up to you to decide otherwise." She snaps and Lynn stays quiet for a second, but shakes her head before saying her next thing.

"That poor man you're seeing now." She says softly, "Does he know how you trapped Darnley, how you conveniently got pregnant when you found out he was going to ask someone else out?"

"That's not what happened."

"Isn't it though?" She tilts her head, looking at her like she's disgusted Mary is even in her presence. "Rumor had it you went around quite a bit back then, is James even Darnley's?"

"You know he is."

"Well, it was a smart plan getting pregnant so quickly once Darnley's attention wavered. I look forward to a repeat performance once Francis gets bored." She smiles a sweet smile, "After all, once a whore always a whore." Mary's hand meets Lynn's face without a moment of hesitation.

"Feed my son anymore of your lies and I'll make sure you  _ never  _ see him again. And Darnley won't argue on that." 

She leaves her in the hall and goes back to the rec room where Darnley and James are still putting together a puzzle, talking about how his weekend has been. 

"James, it's time to go." 

"But we just got here." He says and Darnley looks confused too.

"Mary, we still have another hour."

"I don't care." She says quickly, quietly and now Darnley is standing, looking at her like he's worried.

"What did she say?" He asks softly and Mary sends a quick glance at James. 

"Why does your mother think I got pregnant on purpose?" She whispers the question.

"I don't...I don't know, because she thought I was a pure, virginal, sixteen-year-old before I met you." He says, "I didn't tell her that if that's what you're thinking."

"I wasn't thinking that." She shakes her head and swallows hard.

"What did she say?"

"That I am just a whore who trapped you into marrying me by getting pregnant. That I...had a track record of sleeping around before you, and that..." that when Francis inevitably becomes bored with her, she'll do it to him too. But she can't say that, not to Darnley.

"What?" He asks and he steps a little closer, "Mary-"

"James, give your father a hug." She says quickly after a steadying breath, "Now, please." 

"Mary," Darnley says her name again, this time a little louder. She waits for James to hug his father before they start to leave and Darnley continues to yell for her as they go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, it’s been a while. Sorry, I had some health issues I had to get through.   
> Open to more suggestions because I have no idea what I’m doing at this point. :)


	14. Chapter 14

It's been a week since her visit and her  _ chat  _ with Darnley's mother. To which he apologized for and had  _ words  _ for the woman he usually sides with. Over everything. Since then, she's tried to distance herself from Francis, she can't bring herself to tell him what she said and when she's around him, it's all she can seem to think about.

"What?" She answers the phone under her piles of blankets without a glance at the screen. It's been ringing and ringing and ringing for  _ days _ .

"You've been avoiding me," Francis says matter of factly. 

"I've been busy..."

"With?"

"I'm sick."

"Sick."

"Yup, terrible, terrible cold." She fakes a cough for emphasis. He just gives her an " _ Mhm _ ." That sounds like he isn't buying it.

"Mary."

"What?"

"You're not okay, are you?" He asks that softly like he just  _ knows  _ what Lynn said to her and she blinks tears away from her eyes and shakes her head.

"Sick." She says on a hard swallow that does little to ease the choke he most likely heard.

"Sick." He repeats, but it's softer and more sympathetic. "Okay." 

"Okay."

"I..." he sighs, pauses, and she wonders if he was going to say something else, but instead, "I will bring you some soup." 

"No-"

"I will leave it on your doorstep." 

"Okay..." she says softly, "Thank you."

"Bye..." he hangs up after that and sinks lower into her blankets. She sends Lola a text to ask how James is, he's at a sleepover with John only this time, he's at Lola's. It gives her time to think, to feel a little.

She closes her eyes to rest a little and wakes to find her phone lighting up. 

**Francis:** _"Soup has been delivered."_ She sends thanks and crawls out of bed. 

"Hi." She jumps back with a squeak when she sees Francis is still at the door, holding a canister of something hot. 

"What-"

"You're acting strange." He says as he walks past her with a questioning quirk of his brow. Then he's feeling her cheeks and her forehead with the back of his hand. "You don't feel warm."

"Francis-"

"Don't look pale to me." He hums suspiciously. 

"I-"

"Are you sick?" He asks, "Be honest." He already knows that she's lying. So she shakes her head.

"No..."

"I don't like being lied to." He frowns but he replaces it with a worried smile as he steps closer and pulls her against him. He sighs likes he's relieved when she embraces him back, but she wraps her arms around him like she's a child. 

He does tense when she starts to cry.

"Mary?" He says soothingly, "What is it?"

"You're too good to me." She sniffles, "You brought me soup, and you're not mad at me for lying to you...and..." And she's pretty sure he was going to tell her he loved her over the phone. Which is scary and unbelievable. She's not an easy person to love. 

"And?" He asks softly. She just tightens her arms around him. 

"Nothing." She whispers with a sniffle as she pulls back. "I'm...I'm just really grateful."

"It's...it's just from a can, I only added water-" She kisses him, she kisses him like she never expected to see him again. Like he's a soldier going off to war and there was a chance she'd never ever kiss him again.

_ -/- _

"You are so beautiful." He hums as he runs his finger over the curves and dips of the side of her body. She can feel it in over the thinness of her sheet and she smiles a small smile as she gets more comfortable. He doesn't say anything else, he just seems content with lying with her in the silence.

"Francis..."

"Hm?" She doesn't say anything else, she just scoots close until their noses touch and then their lips are touching slowly, tired kisses, sated kisses. He pulls back a little.

"Your house is nice." He says softly.

"Not as nice as yours." She hums as she lies her head on his chest when he turns over on his back. "How do you afford to live in such a nice house?" And in  _ that  _ part of the neighborhood. The "rich" side of the neighborhood, where people pay other people to do their household chores and mow their grass or something rich.

"Is my job not answer enough?"

"Uuuuuh-"

"My mother." He says with a shrug, "She owns it, allows me to live in it rent-free as long as I pay the bills."

"Just because?"

"After Lola got pregnant, my parents didn't want a newborn cramped in my tiny room at home. And Lola didn't want the same."

"So they got you a whole house?"

"Lola lived with me the first few months after John was born so that I could help and she didn't want me to miss you know, the newborn stuff. Then she met Julien and she moved out."

"Were you upset?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Would you go out with me if you knew my child's mother still lived with me?" He asks with a smirk and she nods. Because she absolutely would;  _ look  _ at him.

"Well, you're the only woman in the world who would."

"Olivia probably would." She says it without thinking and immediately hates how it comes out and how he tenses under her like she just stabbed him in the gut. She sounds like a jealous girlfriend. Like a controlling one.

"I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from..." she says quickly.

"Mary."

"Hm?"

"I'm with you now." He tells her, "Olivia is just-"

"A friend, I know..." she swallows, "But-"

"Oh god, there's a but."

"You did...have a no strings attached relationship." 

"She's engaged." He says, "Has been for three years. I haven't...we haven't slept together in two."

"Oh." She breathes, "Wait she's been engaged but you guys were still-"

"I'm not proud of it!" He cringes and it makes her laugh.

"But she...it's done now?"

"She's happy, doesn't visit often but when she does she usually stays at a hotel." He shrugs, "And she likes you."

"Oh." She can't remember a time she actually talked to the girl, other than the coffee shop. But she remembers the day she got between her and Darnley, how she comforted Mary after, how she read to the children while Mary gathered her bearings. Maybe one day, Olivia could become a friend to her. They could have a proper meeting.

"Mary."

"Yes?"

"What's going on?" He asks seriously, but also soothingly because something is going on and it's as plain as day. But she can't describe what it is, she doesn't even understand it herself.

"Nothing." She says softly and that makes him move from under her to over her. 

"Nothing." He quirks a brow, tilts his head, squints at her like he's studying every crevice of her face. "You didn't start acting weird until you visited Darnley. What did he do?" She swallows, shakes her head.

"It wasn't Darnley..." she says softly, "It was...his mom has never really liked me...so."

"Oh."

"She actually hates me with every fiber of her being."

"Mary, I'm sure-"

"No, she told me, Francis. It's not a feeling. It's a fact and she was the reason that James reacted to... _ us _ the way that he did."

"That's not all."

"I-"

"You're not telling me things, that's not a good foundation for our relationship."

"She implied that James wasn't Darnley's. Even though I...I've only ever been with Darnley." She says softly, "And you. But that's not the point..."

"But he looks just like him."

"She just said it to hurt me." She says with a frown, "So..." she shakes her head. 

"She sounds like a terrible person." Is all he says, maybe it's all he can think to say at the moment. There isn't much that he can do. He can only try to make her feel better. 

And when conversation fails, they turn to something else. Which is how he ends up back on top of her, hands in her hair, lips on lips. Her hand running down his chest and then  _ lower- _

"Mary!" The voice makes them stop, pause, and then Mary is practically throwing Francis off. "Are you still in bed? Do you know what time it is?" 

"Hide." She hisses hurriedly as Francis makes quick work of his pants. 

"What?" He whispers back, "Mary, are you actually-"

"That. Is. My.  _ Mother _ !" She forgot she was supposed to have lunch with her today. And now Francis is here...and her bed is suspiciously messy.

"You're an adult?" He questions in a whisper as she shoves Francis towards the closet, trying her best to get dressed but when that fails, she pulls on a robe. 

"I'm sorry, you'll thank me later." She squeaks as she slides the door shut and then the door opens. "Hi, mommy!" She smiles, her mother makes a face.

"Hi?" She stirs her coffee, "You didn't hear me come in?"

"No, I was in the shower." Her mother squints. 

"Your hair isn't wet."

"I- I uh, meant to say I was about to get  _ in  _ the shower. Couldn't hear over the uh...water."

"I don't hear any water." Her mother straightens, taps her spoon on the side of her coffee mug. "And I suppose  _ those  _ belong to you?" She tilts her head, points a finger at the boots that still rest by her bed. 

"Uuuuhhh-" Mary swallows, her mother clears her throat. 

"Where did you put him?" She asks dryly as she walks down the hall, "Hello? Francis, darling you can come out!" She shouts in something sweet, but scary. 

Francis exits the closet as quietly as he can, fully dressed now, aside from his shoes. Which he pulls on.

"Ah, there you are." Marie De Guise makes her way back towards Mary's bedroom and leans on the doorframe, stirring her coffee, eyes darting between them both. "Daughter, why did you hide your teacher friend from me?"

"Uuuuh-"

"And what are you doing here?" This question is directed at Francis. Though she suspects that her mom already knows the answer. 

"I was just dropping something off for her."

"Hm." Her mother hums, "Your penis?" She questions with a smirk and Mary is pretty sure she just blacked out for a second and Francis just laughs awkwardly.

"Um-"

"Get out of my daughter's bedroom please." She smiles sweetly.

"Yes ma'am." He says quickly, "Mary, I'll-"

"Okay." She nods and once Francis has left, her mother turns back to her.

"Well, better let you get on with that shower then." 

_ -/- _

Lunch with her mom was awkward, to say the least, she tried to ask questions but Mary just ended up making a face. It's her  _ mom _ . It's  _ weird _ .

"Anyways, condoms."

"Oh my god." Mary's forehead meets tabletop and she groans loudly, "Please-"

"I mean, I'm a few years too late for this conversation, but we never really had it-"

"Eight years too late."

"Mary."

"What?" Her voice is muffled by the table.

"Just be careful."

"We've already had this conversati-"

"Yes well, that was before I caught him in your closet." She says with a sigh, "Yes, going at it like rabbits is fun until  _ uh-oh- _ "

"That's not gonna happen." She whines

"Is it serious?" She asks suddenly, "It's not just a...what do the kids call it these days? Ah, a fling." Mary looks up with a huff. She's just worried Mary will end up right back where she was, stuck. But Francis isn't Darnley, if she got pregnant...

He'd probably be overjoyed and that's both terrifying and heartwarming. Because Darnley wasn't...he was in shock, he wasn't happy. The first thing he said when she told him was, " _ What are you gonna do?" _

"It's serious." She says softly. He brought her soup when he knew she wasn't sick, he doesn't let her shut him out, he listens to her rambles.

He taught her how to cook pasta. 

"And he's good?" Her mother asks with a smirk.

" _ Ew _ ."

"I just want to make sure you're getting  _ everything  _ you  _ need- _ "

"Ew, ew, ew-" she's standing from the table and retreating.

"Does he know it's impolite to  _ sound off  _ before the other person-" her door closes and cuts that off. 

_ -/- _

She doesn't feel great today, mostly just doesn't have much of an appetite, but Kenna forces a slice of cake down her throat. Which inevitably makes her feel worse. 

"It's a party." Kenna smiles, "You look like you're dying." They're all at the park, Greer rented the entire thing out for Rose's birthday and everyone is here with their kids. Even Francis is here, but he's all the way over there and she's all the way over here. He's talking to Bash, who is talking to one of Greer's sisters, whose younger sister stands next to her.

And she looks like she's half in love with Francis but the man hardly notices, or maybe he does and he's learned to tune it out. There are  _ a lot _ of teenage girls in his electives. A far greater number than boys.

"Mary?" Kenna pokes her side, "hello?"

"I'm fine."

"Liar."

"Kenna." She says softly and when she meets her friend's eye, she seems to understand.

"Have you-"

"No."

"Well, you need to."

"I can't." 

"Wwwwhy?" Kenna asks softly, "Is it, Francis?" It isn't Francis. It's Lynn. Everything she said the other week could be becoming true and she can't take any more of her offhanded, snide remarks. And it's James, he's finally okay with Francis being something other than his teacher, and  _ this _ . This will fuck him up even more than he already has been, how much pain can she pack inside that tiny boy's heart? Before he really snaps, maybe that's what Darnley was warning her about.

"How...how late are you?" Kenna asks in a whisper, eyes glancing over at Francis, and Mary shrugs. "A week? Two?" She swallows hard.

"Three." It probably happened on their first date, believe it or not. 

"Okay." Kenna nods, "Okay."

"Okay." She says softly. Her eyes find James playing with John and some other kids and then they find Francis and...and he's looking at Rose like she's the goddamn secret to the universe, smiling at her as Greer coos with the little thing on her hip.

"Oh- oh no." Kenna panics at her side when Mary actually starts to cry uncontrollably.

Which is how they end up at the drugstore, she barely remembers Kenna sneaking her out of the party. But she's thumbing through an entire aisle of pregnancy tests with red puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

"We have to go back-"

"Take your time. What about this one?" Kenna points at a digital test and then just grabs two and hands them to Mary.

"Oh, excuse me-" Is a voice that belongs to a woman behind the cart that just slammed into them. One of the tests rocketed itself out of Mary's hand and onto the floor and before she can bend to pick it up, the woman had already grabbed it.

"Good luck, dear." She says as she hands it back and as Mary whispers thanks and walks away, she thinks that that woman does kind of look like Francis.

_ -/- _

She doesn't take them, she stares at them on her bathroom counter, promptly hides them when her mom comes over. She prays to every god there ever was that she's just been stressed and upset and that's why she's so late. 

She knocks gently on the door to the Science room, where she just watched a plethora of school girls jiggle their way out at the sound of a bell. A different teacher is doing the pickup period, schedule changes. He's still James' homeroom teacher, just not every period. Kenna and Bash picked him up.

"No, again, I'm not-" He's saying something but when he opens the door, he stops. "James isn't-"

"I know. Um, Bash took him home." She explains as she walks in. 

"Oh." Francis says softly, "Well in that case," he moves to kiss her but then she moves and that...that's never happened before. "Okay, what...uh, what's wrong?" Now he just looks concerned.

"I uh..." she turns to look at him, he's set about cleaning the room up a bit, picking up discarded books, pieces of papers that miss the trashcan but he pauses every now and then to look at her. So she knows that he is still listening. 

"Yooouuu?" 

"Can you stop for a second?"

"I-"

"Please?" She asks softly and he sets the book he just picked up back on the table with a questioning look. 

She needs to just...rip it off like a bandaid.

"I'm late." She says quickly.

"Then you better get going." He jokes as he picks the book back up and places it where it belongs.

"No, Francis."  _ Men _ . "Francis." 

"Yes?" He asks, paper meets trash can so she just walks over to him, turns him so he can look at her and basically shouts,

" _ Pregnant _ ." Before he can even process or saying anything-

"Oh goodie, will you be marrying this one, or do you intend to breed with the whole town?" Mary freezes completely, Francis looks like someone just shoved a sharp object through his chest cavity and when she turns, the woman who ran into her at the drug store is at the door. 

"Haaaaa..." Francis runs a hand over his eyes before sighing heavily, "Um. Okay. Mom, this is Mary, Mary, this is my mother."

"Oh. Catherine."

"I suppose I wasn't supposed to hear this conversation but I just dropped by to give Francis something."

"Couldn't go to my house becaaauusee?"

"Couldn't wear a condom becauuuuse?" She bites back she gives Mary a sweet smile, "Oh you are very pretty."

"Thank you."

"A new baby is a very exciting thing, stop looking so grim. John will be happy to have a sibling." Catherine says simply and then she presses a soft kiss to her sons cheek before patting his shoulder.

"I'll be calling you later, darling." She says with a smile, "And I will look forward to hearing more about you, Mary." She places the box she brought on a table and promptly exits. She even closes the door. 

"I'm sorry." He says once she leaves, "Not really how I wanted you to meet her."

"Francis..." she says softly when he goes back to what he was doing before Mary told him. Like she never told him at all, he's...fine. "h-hello?"

"Are you pregnant?" He asks, "Have you-" she shakes her head 

"I didn't take the-"

"Can you wait for me?" He asks that softly. "I can come over, or you can come over. Lola has John tonight."

"Okay." She says with a hard swallow, he gives her a smile that makes her want to smile too. 

_ -/- _

They're sitting on his bathroom floor, no he wasn't present when she uh...did her thing. He came in after and now it's flipped upside down on the counter and the timer ticks loudly. 

"We should talk about what to do if this comes back positive." He says softly.

" _ When _ ." She corrects. When she traps him; when they get stuck together. They could end up hating each other in the future. That's what happened before. He'll get bored, he won't want to, but he'll see a pretty girl at a bar. He'll think about how Mary is at home covered in...all kinds of baby bodily fluids, how she isn't attractive anymore. Next thing he knows he's between the legs of some bimbo.

"You don't know-"

"I know what I feel like when I'm pregnant. I feel like this." Or maybe it won't be random at a bar, maybe one of the single mothers who come to pick up their kid from school. He's done  _ that  _ before.

"We need to talk about what happens after this then."

"Okay." She says softly, barely above a whisper and she feels his fingers slide between her own. 

"We might have a baby." He says softly, "It's fast...I know, but, I think we can make it work. You and James could move in." She shakes her head. "Mary, this house barely fits the two of you."

"I can't move again. I can't...move him twice in one year, divorce his father, lock his father away, and then move in with his teacher and have another baby with his teacher. All in the same damn year."

"Mary-"

"It's too much."

"He'll be okay, he will adjust as he already ha-"

"Do you want to get married? Is that your next solution?" She asks it's more of a snap than a question. 

The timer goes off before he can answer. And she's scrambling to grab the test off the counter. 

They flip it together and she starts to laugh at the result. Like really laugh, loud, crazy. But when she calms down, she smiles.

"Oh thank god." She breathes as she wipes her eyes. "It's negative. I'm not...I'm not pregnant." She laughs softly, sniffling, "Francis," she turns to look at him. 

"See? Nothing to worry about." He says and he offers her a small smile. He pulls her up with him when he stands and she tosses the test in the trash.

_ -/- _

He seems different after a while, even after they eat dinner and she helps him with the dishes. This feels different.

"Are you upset?" She finally asks as she dries her hands on a towel and then hands it to him. He shrugs.

"No, it's...it wouldn't have been a good time." He says softly, "And you're right. James and all of these changes..."

"Right." She nods and she steps back before he can step forward and that seems to frustrate him because it's the third time she has rejected a kiss from him.

"Okay." He clicks his tongue against his teeth, "Why?" He asks softly. She just picks at her palm.

"Mary?" He questions, "You have been acting strange-"

"Maybe this was a sign that we need to slow down..."

"Slow down?" He asks, "You just took a pregnancy test in my bathroom and you want to  _ slow down? _ "

"We should or..."

"Or?"

"I don't know..." She says softly and he squints at her, long enough to make her look away.

"What else did she say to you?" He asks he's searching her face now, "Hm?"

"Nothing..."

"I cannot help you," he sounds incredibly frustrated, "If you don't talk to me. I can't make you feel better if you don't talk to me."

"I got pregnant on purpose. That's what she said, she said that once I saw Darnley was interested in another girl. I got pregnant." She starts to speak a little faster as she explains the rest, that she's a whore, that she lied about Darnley being her first.  _ (She didn't but according to Lynn) _ . 

"We got married because we had to, not because we loved each other. It was fine at first and then I got busy with the baby and Darnley, he started to resent me after a few years and then he found others."

"Mary-"

"And I was so scared the same thing is going to happen with you and then you started talking about moving in, and marriage and-" 

"Mary, I merely suggested those things, I would never force you. They are things we would end up talking about eventually anyways-" He stops when she shakes her head. Which makes him look at her like he's incredibly confused, "Right?"

"Francis-"

"You don't...you don't want any of those things, do you?" He asks that softly, squints at her. She doesn't want them  _ right now _ , right this  _ minute _ , but he doesn't mean right now and right this minute. He means in the future, he sees kids and a house and wedding rings and she suddenly can't  _ breathe _ .

"I did the married thing." She chokes, "And...I..."

"You have James." He says softly, "Do...you see any kind of future for us?"

"Francis-"

"My God, he really did a number on you." He says with a heavy sigh, "What... I don't even know what to..."

"We need to slow down." She whispers and it takes everything she has to get air to her lungs to even say it.

"Slow down or break up?" She doesn't answer, she feels like someone just punched her in the gut, like her entire body is caving in. She just grabs her purse and slings the strap over her shoulder. 

She tries to focus on her breathing, to move her legs towards the door.

"Mary!" He shouts for her as she finds her way to the porch, he finds his way to the door. "Mary, wait!" He reaches her when she gets to her car.

"Don't go. I'm sorry, don't leave-" she turns away from him. "Mary, I love you." He says that desperately and she freezes because she knew he did. Or he does, and she thinks that she does too but what's the point in saying it now. 

So, she just gets in her car and she drives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a shot every time Mary says okay.
> 
> Got some strong language in this one. So uh. Tw.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Aylee asks her the hundredth time and Mary just shakes her head from under her blanket. He's been calling her, he'd probably be here if it weren't for him having John. They broke up, or at least she thinks they did. She's pretty sure that's what happened if she's honest; the whole moment is blurry now. 

He loves her, that much is clear. It's burned into her memory now, clear as day, the way he sounded, how desperate his voice was. She'll never forget it. No matter how badly she longs to.

"Mary?"

"What?"

"Are you okay?" 

"No." She says softly and then she hears rustling and the blanket is lifted. Aylee has discarded her shoes and has crawled in the bed, she lies next to her now. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know I thought this would help."

"Oh."

"Does it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Okay," Mary repeats softly, swallows the ever-present lump in her throat. Tries to break it apart, to make it go away, it doesn't. Maybe it never will.

"He told me he loved me...as I was leaving." She says, "He thought it would stop me from going."

"Why didn't it?" Aylee asks. 

"It hurt."

"Oh."

"He didn't...say it because he wanted to..." she supposes. He said it because he had to because he thought she wouldn't leave if she heard, that it would change what happened. Aylee nods as she gets it. She probably doesn't, but Aylee likes to understand, to try. She doesn't compare others' situations with her own to add perspective, she simply tries to understand what the other might be feeling. 

"Do you love him?" She asks after a second of quiet and Mary nods but she doesn't say it. There's no point in saying it. 

"He wants so many things with me..." she says in a whisper, "But I..."

"Right."

"It's too much."

"Yes."

"What do I do?" 

"Try and understand your own feelings and why you feel them." She says softly, "That's all you can do. I don't think Francis is going anywhere." She likes to think he's set on Mary, but. It's not like he's hurting in the dating department, Bash did tell her he's constantly being asked out by lonely single moms after school. The thought makes her choke. 

"What if it takes too long?" She whispers, voice barely above that as she squeezes her eyes shut and more tears come out. "He can't wait forever."

"He loves you and you love him," she says, "Sometimes that's all you need. Sometimes people who love each other wait lifetimes to be together."

"James...god, I just got him okay with it. And now, I have to explain to him that it didn't work out." It'll feel like Darnley all over again. He'll go back to only really seeing Francis in school.

"I know."

"He'll hate me." She says softly. He's grown to like Francis, and to hear that he won't be seeing him as much. It'll destroy him. 

"He keeps calling me," Mary says after a while, she eventually just turned her phone off and she knows that he'll be at her door as soon as Lola picks up John in a few days. Aylee sighs heavily, adjusts herself on the pillow to get more comfortable.

"It did happen rather suddenly." She says with a small shrug, "Maybe you could...answer?"

"Aylee-"

"It doesn't have to be a long, drawn-out, conversation."

"What would I even-"

"That you...you both acted impulsively. That distance, space, or whatever is what  _ you  _ need."

"What if he-"

"He won't."

"You didn't even let me-"

"He isn't Darnley." She says that softly, and of course he isn't. Mary never said that he was. Although her mind likes to tell her differently. Francis will wait if he has to, even if it kills him because he is good. He'll understand. Or he'll try to understand and he won't push. So, she nods, really all she can do.

"I miss him." 

"Yeah."

"I shouldn't have left like that."

"You were overwhelmed, scared even."

"That doesn't make it right."

"That doesn't make it wrong either."

Maybe Aylee is right about that. It only serves to twist the guilt in her gut tighter.

"I'm gonna cry now," Mary says that in something smaller than a whisper before the tears start to spill. 

_ -/- _

Francis doesn't call her for a few days, maybe he's done trying to get her to answer. So she calls him and he answers on the first ring.

"Mary, I-"

"No, I have to...I have to say something, please..." She says softly, she's about a half a bottle of something strong and expensive and James is at her mother's for the weekend so that she can drink.  _ For all you judgmental moms out there _ .

"Okay..."

"Hi." She tries after a few seconds and then she just...stops talking. As though the words she wanted to say dissolved on her tongue before they were even formed.

"Hi." 

"I'm a little drunk...so..."

"Are you at home?"

"Yes."

"Good..." He says softly, as though he's relieved she isn't out alone somewhere getting wasted. She's safe at home. Now it's his turn to be quiet. The quiet stretches and stretches and stretches-

"You said you love me."

"Yes." She takes another drink.

"Did you mean it?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Because I...I didn't know, I thought you said it...you know because you felt like you had to-"

"I love you." She swallows a hard swallow. 

"Okay..."

"Okay..." he repeats softly, "Is that...is that all you're going to say to that?"

"Darnley didn't love me...so." she shrugs as she leans back on the couch. "But he said that he did enough to make me believe him..."

"Mary-"

"I'm not very good at the...the whole, feelings thing...or talking about serious topics. Being open isn't easy for me." She tells him with a heavy breath. "I don't know how to..." There's a pause before she speaks again, and he doesn't interject or turn the conversation to something else. 

"I need space." She says after too long, a long and exhausting stretch of quiet. He doesn't say anything for a long time, maybe he thought that she wasn't finished. And then he speaks.

"Space." He repeats the word just as softly, "I can give you that."

"Okay..."

"Can..." He starts and then stops and he doesn't start again for a little. He sighs heavily, "Can we still call each other?" He asks and she swallows another drink before answering.

"Sure." Though she isn't sure how good of an idea that is. "I'm...I have to go now." She tells him and clicks the end call button before he can even say anything, she tosses her phone on the coffee table and curls up in a tight ball on the couch. 

Lola is here in the morning, she let herself in and Mary's headache is relentless. She doesn't have the energy to argue right now.

"You broke up with Francis?" Lola questions with the slamming of a door. Mary can only manage a small "uh-uh" from under her blanket.  _ What time is it even? _

"Mary." Lola rounds the bed. "Maryyyyyyy-"

"I didn't break up with him, I just asked for space." Her hangover snaps at the girl at the foot of Mary's bed. 

"Which is just breaking up but more casually." Lola yanks the blanket off Mary with a flick of her wrist and Mary groans at the sun's intrusion when the girl then pulls the curtains back from a window. 

"You sunk my ship." Lola huffs.

"I don't know what that means." She groans as she presses a pillow over her head.

"Mary. He's sad now."

"So am I."

"Then get back together."

"I can't."

"Do you want to be with Francis?" She asks.

"Yeah."

"Then what's stopping you?"

"Unresolved trauma coupled with the inability to trust or feel worthy of being loved that I gained from being in a toxic relationship for years in the name of _ staying together for the kids _ ." She takes a breath, "Toxicity that I have now inflicted on Francis by believing that he could never want me for anything other than temporary, or a placeholder for when he gets bored and finds someone else."

"Mary, he isn't-"

"I know he isn't Darnley!" She screams that as she throws her stupid pillow and Lola jumps back with a yelp, "But has anyone stopped to realize that the only example of love I ever had was when I was with Darnley!? And he already admitted that he never loved me, not in the way he should have. It was never real. That....that maybe I don't know what a healthy relationship looks like because I've never been in one?" 

Lola doesn't say anything, she just stands there and Mary flops back down her bed with a soft whimper, because  _ yes _ , she's going to cry  _ again _ .

_ -/- _

_ Three months. _

_ - _

They don't talk that much, or at all. Spring has turned to Summer and today is James' last day of school before it closes until Fall. She sees Francis every now and again, usually just a glimpse as he passes by but today he catches her looking at him and she catches him looking at her. She is convinced that breakups don't really get easier.

She hovers over his name so often at night when the missing him gets heavier and it's harder to breathe. Sometimes she wonders what would happen if she just called him in the middle of the night. 

If she told him how much she missed him, how often she thought about him. How on some nights she has to fight the urge to shove her hand between her legs and imagine it's him. (She usually loses that battle). She wonders if he still loved her; if he was just waiting for her to say it too. It's been too long now, she thinks, for him to still harbor the same feelings. Seventy-two days.

_ Seventy-two days isn't long enough to fall out of love with someone, dumbass _ . Her mind tells her, she knows that, but she isn't Francis. She isn't sure how long it would take him to forget her. She waits for James in the parking lot and she smiles as he runs up to her.

"You got everything?" She asks and he nods but as they turn towards the pavement to head for her car, the boy gasps.

"I forgot my bag." He confesses.

"Oh." 

"It's okay, Mary. I can take him to the car while you go get it..." Greer suggests as she takes James' hand and adjusts her daughter on her hip. She hopes it's just it's in his other teachers' room and not-

"It's in Mr. V's room..." He tells her with a small frown. He knows that...they aren't  _ friends  _ anymore. When she explained, it only seemed to confuse him more. As he only _ just  _ found out they were even together and all of a sudden they weren't.

It took him a while to get used to that. But a few uncomfortable questions later, some reassurance that what happened between his mother and his teacher, did not mean that he couldn't still be friends with John. He understood as much as a kid could understand. 

"Oh..." She breathes slowly, "Um that's...that's okay, It won't take me long."

"Right." Greer nods her head like she knows that isn't true. 

"In and out and whatnot..."

"Yeah," Greer says softly. 

"I'll be right back..." She says before walking across the parking lot and weaving through other parents who are picking up their kids, walking back through the large double doors that are held open. 

The longer she walks, the fewer people she sees as most of the classrooms on this side of the school are empty. Aside from the teachers who have to stay. She hopes that Francis isn't in his still, that maybe he went to go get something. Or do something else. That she can just get in and get out without being seen because if she's seen without James, he'll want to talk and if he wants to talk then...

She hears voices though and her hopes are effectively squashed.

"No, that doesn't!" She hears him say loudly but he doesn't sound angry; he sounds...happy. Amused.

"It makes perfect sense!" Is a voice that belongs to a woman and that makes Mary's stomach do something it shouldn't and she wants to stop walking but James needs his bag and her legs pick up the pace despite her brain telling them to stop.

That she doesn't need to see it.

But she looks anyways, she stands in the open doorway like an idiot and she watches. 

"Okay, sure, whatever." He concedes with a laugh.

"I can't believe they gave you a degree." The woman teases. She's in a light pink dress that hugs every inch of her, her black hair is in tight curls that she has piled on top of her head in a bun. Rosy cheeks, round face, a bit of an accent that she can't place. 

She's pretty and Mary needs to go.

"Quel crétin." She adds with a playful smirk and he just glares at her.

"I don't know what you just said, but I feel offended."

"As you should." The girl laughs and then she walks over to him, "Will you not have a drink with me, Monsieur Valois?" She practically purrs it as runs her hand down his chest and Mary feels all of her bones start to dissolve and-

"Mary!" He looks surprised to see her and she snaps out of it. The girl takes a few steps back when she takes in his face. Now she looks confused.

"I...I just, James forgot his bag." She doesn't know how she's keeping herself calm right now but she is, her voice is steady. Her breath is even, she's standing straight. She truly doesn't understand it. 

"Yes, okay." Francis nods as he steps around his  _ friend _ . He unhooks James' bag from his cubby and takes his time handing it over. "Mary, I-"

"This is all I needed, thank you." She swallows hard as she turns back towards the doorway.

"Mary-"

"Have a nice night." She adds before she walks away, but once she gets halfway, she practically runs. 

_ Seventy-two days isn't long enough to fall out of love with someone _ , she remembers thinking that just a few moments ago. But he's already moved on. She waited too long. 

She'll never get to tell him that she loves him. And that she wants him back and that she's sorry for leaving him the way that she left him, and for shutting him out despite the thousands of times he's begged her to let him back in. 

She keeps her composure until she's home, she swallows it down as they pull up to her house. 

"Dad!?" James pushes his car door open before it even stops when he sees Darnley waving from her front lawn. It was a surprise, a carefully orchestrated one. One she can't even enjoy. He was officially released a few days ago. 

"James!" She shouts when he jumps out of the car and makes a mad dash towards Darnley. 

"Live a little, Stuart!" Darnley shouts back. 

Watching them play after so long makes her feel better. She feels like it's been so long since she's seen James smile this much and she's able to put what happened earlier to the side for just a little while.

"Please?" Darnley tries again and she squints at him. He wants to take James home, to his place and she squints at him. "Just the weekend."

"Hmmm."

"Please, mom?" And James has gotten into it which makes it even harder to say no. 

"I...I guess." She concedes softly, "But Darnley-"

"No drinking. I know, I don't do that anymore."

"Okay..." She trusts him enough she supposes. He's been okay now for a while, so she lets them go by the end of the night, and then she sits alone in her house and her thoughts consume her entire body. 

She thinks about how that girl was looking at Francis, how she was touching him, how close they seemed. And she can't breathe anymore. She thinks about what they might be doing right now; if he was touching her the way he used to touch Mary; if he was kissing her, how soon that must have started after...

The sobs she swallowed down are coming back up now and soon her body shakes with them as she presses a pillow to her face and curls in a ball on the couch. 

_ -/- _

It was her mother's suggestion that she get out, as Mary cried on the phone with her. She did her best to soothe her but her mother has never been the most comforting of people. She told her to go out, have some drinks, to stop thinking for just a little bit. 

The bartender sets a glass down in front of her and she makes a face because she didn't order it.

"Oh, I didn't-"

"Compliments of the man over there." He smiles as he points and she follows his finger to where a man with broad shoulders, dark hair, and a matching beard sits alone at a table. He lifts his own glass towards her when their eyes meet and she turns away quickly. Only to look again, and turn away, again, turn, again, turn.

Her legs move before she tells them too and she's walking over.

"Is this seat taken?" She asks and he shakes his head with a smirk.

"Louis." He introduces himself with a nice smile.

"Mary." She says softly as she sits. "Do you send girls drinks they don't ask for often?"

"Only the pretty ones." He winks at her and her stomach twists uncomfortably as she blushes slightly. He is good looking, but...she can't help feeling like she's cheating on Francis. They aren't together, and he seemed pretty busy with his french bitch so. She smiles at Louis.

"Good system." She says.

"I seem to think so." He agrees with a nod of his head. "Now, how many drinks would it take to get you out of that dress?"

"Ha!" She laughs, "Wow. Bold."

"That wasn't an answer." 

"I don't know." She jokes back, "Play your cards right and it might not take that many."

"I do love a challenge." He smirks.

_ -/- _

She evades his advances with a joke of her own and he buys her drinks and they talk and flirt and it's...it's fine. He isn't terrible, but every attempt at suggesting they take this somewhere else, she thinks about Francis and how...how he would feel if he knew that she was entertaining another man. 

"Are you trying to seduce me?" She asks.

"Yes." He confesses, "You're making it a little difficult." He adds with a pout.

"Thought you liked challenges." She teases as she takes another sip of her drink. She doesn't know how many she's had at this point and she thinks that she is a hypocrite because she told Darnley not to drink. She scolds him every time he comes home drunk and yet here she is, drinking with a man she doesn't even know.

"Oh, I do." 

"Just when they're easy." She says with a giggle and then she's grabbing her purse. "I have to go to the bathroom after though, we'll seeeee." 

"I'll be here." Louis smiles a wide smile and she can feel his eyes all over her as she walks away, stumbles mostly. But whatever.

She splashes water over her face to calm herself, to somehow make the room stop spinning. It doesn't, it spins more intensely as all the alcohol she drank settles in her stomach. She's definitely drunk. She realizes when her hand touches the counter that this is the bathroom where she and Francis...where they almost...

And then her legs are buckling under her and she's catching herself on it before just easing herself back down to the floor with a soft whimper. She's thinking alcohol isn't the only thing in her system and she thinks that maybe she shouldn't have accepted a drink from someone she didn't know. 

That could just be her being silly, she hasn't drunk like this since she was in high school. But...that doesn't stop her from rummaging through her purse for her phone.

It rings a few times and then some more and she calls again and it's answered on the last ring.

"Mary?" Francis questions through the phone.

"Help." She cries.

"What?" He sounds confused, "What is it? Is James okay?"

"I'm drunk."

"O-okay..."

"And um..." She takes a breath, "And I think...I think someone drugged me..." she cries and  _ that  _ gets his attention. 

"What!?" He asks, "Where are you?"

"In the bathroom..."

"Where?"

"In a bar?" 

"Sweetie, what bar?" He asks that more gently, less demanding like he's worried and she's too drunk to remember the name. 

"The one we almost...had sex in." There was probably a better description of that but that's what she chooses. So. _Whatever_. 

"Don't leave, okay, stay right where you are."

"Okay." She sniffles, "Francis?"

"Yes?"

"Don't bring french bitch." 

"I don't know who..." He sighs heavily and she hears him grab his keys and she thinks that she can't really go anywhere. 

"Are you gonna come get me?"

"Yes." He says, "Stay where you are, okay? Lock the door."

"Okay." She thinks that that isn't very fair, other people have to use the bathroom. But she listens and twists the lock.

She thinks she passed out for a second because she opens her eyes to someone knocking. 

"Go away!" She shouts.

"Mary, it's me." She thinks the door sounds like Francis but she soon realizes that that is Francis and she pulls herself up from the floor, takes a few tries, and fumbles for the lock. 

"You came to get me!" She smiles when it swings open and she's falling into him. 

"Let's get you home." He says gently and he keeps a firm grasp on her hand as he pulls her behind him. More so drags her because he's walking too fast for her drunk ass to follow. 

"Look!" She shouts as she reaches a halt, they're in the parking lot and she finds her friend from earlier. "There's Louis!" Francis stops too. 

"Him?" He questions.

"Mary, I thought you left." Louis puts his cigarette out on the pavement as he stands and, in hindsight, that might not have been the best idea for him to do.

"Mary," Francis turns to her, "Stay right here, okay?" He says with a sweet smile.

"Okay." 

"Good girl, right here, don't move."

"Mhm." She nods her head and doesn't think much of it as Francis walks over to Louis and with _zero hesitation_ , punches him in the face so hard she hears a crack. 

"Touch my girlfriend again and I will kill you." She's not his girlfriend but that's not the point. He's wiping the blood off his hand as he comes back to her. He's grabbing her hand again and she's thinking about all the ways she can get him to take off his clothes because  _ that  _ was the hottest thing she's ever seen in her life. 

"My car is over there." She says when she notices they're moving in the direction of his car.

"We're leaving your car."

"But how will I get it home if I don't get it, stupid."

"You're not driving like this."

"Why?"

"You can barely stand." He says that like it's obvious to her. She scoffs.

"I can drive, see I have...a license." She's sifting through her purse to find her wallet, swaying slightly, stumbles but he catches her. Which makes her giggle as she wraps her arms around his neck. 

"See?"

"I suppose you'll have to give me a ride then." She hums, but she's not talking about his car. 

"Mary." He says her name pretty seriously, which adds fuel to the fire raging inside of her right now. 

"What if I don't wanna go with you?" She asks as she pushes off him. 

"Mary, please."

"No." She huffs, trips on her own heel but she catches herself with a sputter of giggles. Francis looks...annoyed as he runs his hands over his eyes and sighs.

"Get in the car, Mary." 

"No."

"I am not leaving you here."

"I didn't say you had to." She says with a sway. "Kiss me first."

"What?"

"Kiss me." She says it again.

"You're very drunk."

"Kiss me and I'll get in the car."

"No." He says but he's thinking about it, she can tell his eyes keeps going to her lips. So she bites her bottom lip to make it harder for him to say no. 

"Kiss meeeee, Francis-"

"Ask me when you're sober." He says as he unlocks his car, still pulling her along behind him. 

"No. I want you to kiss me now."

"Get your ass in the car, Mary." He sounds a little fed up with her right now but she doesn't do what he wants. She'll do what he wants if he does what she wants. 

"Only if you-"

"I'm not kissing you, you're drunk."

"Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, ki-" 

She could jump for joy when his lips finally meet hers in a collision so hard it almost hurts. He's cupping her face and she's holding him too tight because she doesn't want him to pull away and they just stand there kissing each other like their lives depended on it. Oh, it's been so long since they've kissed like this, she feels like her whole body is coming back to life. She doesn't want him to stop, she doesn't want him to ever pull away. She might die if he does. 

The only consolation she receives when he does is that his voice sounds less steady than before.

"Get in the car." He whispers, barely a breath away and she wants to pull him back to her mouth, she wants to kiss him so badly it almost hurts. Instead, she just nods and lets him pull her towards his car.

_ -/- _

He stays with her until she sobers up a bit. He has to remove her from his lap a few times though and put up with her trying to get another kiss out of him. And as the hours tick by, as her head becomes more clear, she starts to notice things she didn't before.

"Here." He says when he comes back from the kitchen, "Water." He sets the cup down on her coffee table and she sips at it slowly. He crouches down in front of her, starts to work on the straps of her heels. She notices the cuts and the bruises on his knuckles. 

"Does your hand hurt?" She asks when he reaches the other shoe. 

"No." He says softly, "It's...It's fine, Mary."

"Promise?" 

"Scouts honor." He stands and she notices that he isn't really looking at her now. He keeps his back turned away from her as he sets her shoes by the door and she frowns. 

"Francis?"

"What?" He asks but he doesn't turn around. She doesn't say anything, she just looks at him. Eventually, he does turn around, folds his arms over his chest. "Mary?"

"Will you stay with me?" She asks softly. 

"Drink your water."

"That's not an answer." She says softly and he shakes his head, "Francis..."

"What, Mary?!" That's a snap, enough to make her jump. 

"You won't look at me." She says softly, he still doesn't meet her eyes. "Francis-"

"You stopped calling me." He says suddenly, "And you stopped answering when I called you. If we saw each other in public you barely said two words to me and you never got close. You shut me out, Mary." She doesn't say anything, she just swallows hard. 

"I don't even know what I did wrong." He says with a scoff and then a laugh, "I wanted a future with you? Is that the problem? I had the audacity to want you?" He's looking at her now and he looks so hurt and she did that to him, she was so scared to lose him and she lost him anyway. 

"You  _ wanted _ ?" She swallows the choke, "You  _ had _ ? Do...do you feel differently now?" 

"That's not..." He runs a hand through his hair. He doesn't fix it though, he just looks at her like doing this is a lost cause and she's standing now. 

"Francis-"

"What do you want, Mary!" He shouts, "I don't know what you want me to say, do you want me to tell you that I love you because I tried that route!" He throws his hands up in frustration, "Look how far it got me!"

"Francis-"

"You couldn't even tell me that when you asked for space, you meant you never wanted to see me again."

"That's not why I asked-"

"Then please," He gestures at her like she has the room, "While I'm here, explain your thought process. Please. Tell me why you thought that breaking up was the solution to all of your problems."

" _ My _ problems?!" She scoffs like he didn't have any of his own, he was ready to move her and her son in like they needed the hand-out. He was moving too fast.  _ She couldn't breathe _ . 

"Yes, yours, Mary, because that's the only issue I'm seeing.  _ You  _ left me.  _ You  _ shut me out.  _ You  _ won't talk to me." She's quiet. But only for a second.

"You were moving too fast. You were asking for too much."

"When did I ask you for anything, Mary!?" It's said in an angry shout, "You act like I pulled out a ring and proposed the second I met you!"

"You asked about kids on our second date-"

"Because we were having sex. Last I checked, that is how babies are made." He pauses for a second, "I suggested we move in together because you were convinced that you were pregnant before you even took the test. So before you use that against me, I just wanted to reiterate that  _ you  _ thought we were having a baby."

"So this is my fault."

"I didn't say that." 

"I shouldn't have called you." She whispers angrily, she should have just gone home with Louis. Poor man, got a broken  _ whatever  _ because Mary couldn't handle her liquor. Now she's being yelled at. 

"What were you planning on doing instead, hanging out on the bathroom floor all night?" He asks her dryly.

"I was gonna go home with Louis." She tells him, "Before I called you. I told him I would. I was going to go home with him and let him do whatever he wanted-"

"Stop."

"Touch me wherever he wanted-"

"Please, stop-"

"Probably would have felt really good, having him on top of me. All over me, inside of me-"

"Damnit, Mary, that is enough!" She's never heard him sound like that, ever, she feels it in her whole body. It's enough to make her back away from him, the type of angry shout that usually led to a slap. 

Instead, he just laughs and shrugs like he doesn't know what her intent was with providing him with the visual of another man on top of her.

"Who was that girl earlier?" She asks him after a while, "Who had her hands all over you?"

"No one."

"No one? Am I supposed to believe that? She was practically undressing you-"

"Natalia. Knew her from school, she is a friend of Claude's and she lives in France as she has for years." 

"Are you screwing her?" She asks. 

"Jesus Christ." He breathes, laughs a little, pinches the bridge of his nose, and sighs heavily.

"Oh my god." She feels sick, "We've been broken up for only a few months and..." He's already found someone else. 

"I'm not sleeping with her." He tells her honestly, "But I could." That nearly knocks the wind out of her. 

"She's been after me for years now, it really wouldn't be all that difficult. I could call her right now, have her naked in less than an hour." She doesn't say anything, if she's honest she can hardly breathe. 

So he continues.

"Doesn't feel good, does it? Hearing me talk about being with another woman." She swallows hard, tries to remember how to breathe.

"Maybe you should call her then." She forces it out, "If she wants you so badly."

"Maybe you should have gone home with Louis then. But you didn't, you called me. Why?"

"Why-

"Why did you call me, Mary?" He asks loudly, slowly like she's hard of hearing and she presses her back against the wall again like she longs to sink into it.

"Why did you come?" She asks instead of answering, "Why? If you...you can't stand the sight of me then why-"

"Because I loved you!" He yells at her, "And you called me even though you hadn't in so long and I thought that maybe you finally wanted me as much as I wanted you." 

"You  _ loved  _ me?"

"It doesn't matter now."

"It does."

"Why? Will anything change? Are you going to open up?" He's walking over to her now and she doesn't have anywhere to run. Just presses her back against the wall harder. "If I tell you that I love you, that I still love you, are you going to say it back?" He asks, "Or am I just going to have to live with the fact that I love you more than you will ever love me?" 

She doesn't even think before she does it, but her hand finds his cheek  _ hard _ . And maybe he doesn't think before he does it either but after that, his hand is grabbing a fistful of her hair and then their mouths are crashing together. She pushes back against him with just as much force as he has on her. Her fingers are twisting in his shirt and his hands have moved to her hips as they stumble around. 

Eventually, he's lifting her onto an end table, using her body to shove a lamp to the floor. She doesn't care and neither does he, she just uses the opportunity to wrap her legs around him.

"Yes, Francis." She breathes against his lips when she feels his hand dive under her skirt, " _Please_." She adds when he hesitates. If only he knew how much she's thought about him like this since they broke up, how often she's had to quench her own thirst for him. All the times she's  _ wanted  _ to call him. 

"I love you..." He whispers it and she kisses him back with everything in her body. It isn't enough, he wants  _ words _ .

When he doesn't get them he detangles himself from her.

"I can't..." He breathes, "I can't do this anymore, Mary..." She jumps down from the table and she moves forward just a little but he isn't looking at her now. "Don't call me again. Ever. Just. I'm done."

"Done?" It's barely even a whisper, it's more of a breath. 

"You are so hellbent on believing that no one can ever love you, what's the point in even trying? Did Darnley mess you up that badly?" He waits for a response but she can't even think of one and he shakes his head again, this time with a loud sigh, "Give me something please,  _ anything _ , any answer as to why you cannot just let me in!" 

"I don't know." She tells him and she knows that it isn't enough, "Wait-"

"I can't wait any longer. I hoped that you would come back to me after that night, I really did, but you didn't. And I waited and I waited, after you stopped answering my calls, I still waited because I thought that you were just scared and that you needed time."

"I don't want to lose you..." That's a choke, it scratches its way up her throat and she feels it deep in her body.

"You lost me three months ago." He tells her. That's the last thing he says before he turns to the door.

"Francis!" She calls for him even after the door slams shut. She races after him, screaming for him to just come back, to please not leave like this. 

But then she watches on the sidewalk as his car fades out of view and her heart plummets to her stomach.

_ -/- _

_ 4 Months _

_ - _

Her friends don't ask about him anymore, or really even talk about him if Mary's around. Not even Lola, who shares a child with him, mentions him by name around Mary. Word must have gotten around that their last fight was as bad as it felt.

She wonders if he even thinks about her. She thinks about him.

Mary is trying to get back to who she was before Francis, but what was she before Francis? Trapped in a loveless marriage with a man who indulged in others before he even thought about touching his wife? She doesn't really want to go back to that.

But she doesn't remember who she was before Darnley either.

"I like that one." Kenna nods in approval at Lola who is standing on a small lift in front of large mirrors, looking at herself in a big white wedding gown.

"I don't know, I feel like a cupcake." Lola says as she adjusts her bust, "Mary?" 

Mary turns her head away from the window and lifts a brow.

"What...what do you think?" She asks. 

"Cupcake, yeah." She says softly. She was watching the cars pass by, four red, two blue, one yellow, and six black. She turns back to the window.

"Alright. Um. So I guess we'll just..." Lola steps down and goes back to the fitting room. 

She wonders why they even invited her. It's not like she's been a pleasure to be around the last few months. Even James,  _ James,  _ has been staying with Darnley more often since all of this happened. Her own son doesn't want to be around her. 

"That one!" Aylee says excitedly when Lola steps out in a long white dress that flows out from the waist and she looks...she looks beautiful as she smiles and she looks at herself in the mirror. 

"Should we try a veil?" She asks and gets a resounding yes from everyone, and Mary tries a small smile as the other girls giggle and adjust the long piece of fabric over Lola's head. 

Once the dress has been chosen and paid for and Lola sets updates for all of her final fittings, they remain in the room and talk while the woman who was helping them sets everything up.

"I didn't know wedding stuff was so...tedious." Lola is telling them about the fight she and Julien had over the guest seating, over the band, over the food. "At least the dress is out of the way."

"You could just wear jeans, that's what Mary did." Greer teases lightly.

"You wore Jeans to your own wedding?" Lola asks her incredulously and Mary shrugs.

"And a nice sweater..." Mary tells them, "It wasn't really a wedding, it was a quickie courthouse thing." 

"You didn't have a wedding?" Lola asks softly. "Oh..."

"Maybe next time." Kenna probably didn't think about the comment until she made it, but Aylee smacks her upside the head so hard she's pretty sure Kenna blacked out for a second. 

There would be no next time. She fucked it up. Mary lost her chance. 

"Where's the bathroom?" Mary asks after a few swallows, a few breaths that don't succeed in calming the tidal wave of emotion that's slamming into her chest. 

"It's down the hall." Lola points and she doesn't wait, she just grabs her bag and she practically runs. 

She's a little disappointed that it isn't a single and that she can't lock the door but she is mercifully alone. She digs her phone out, scrolls to his name, and calls him. She knows how this will go, it goes to voicemail without even ringing. He blocked her number after that night. 

She sinks to the floor and all she can do is cry.

"Mary." Aylee's voice is sweet when the door opens and closes and she doesn't know how long it's been now. "Kenna, she didn't mean..."

"I should have tried harder." She sobs, "Why couldn't I just tell him?"

"Mary-"

"I just want to tell him..."

"I know..." Aylee says softly and she scoots closer until she can pull Mary to her chest and she doesn't know how long they stay like that.

_ -/- _

_ 5 months _

_ - _

This whole situation doesn't get any easier. If anything it gets even worse. Mary doesn't even look like Mary anymore, she looks like a zombie. 

"Mom?" James pokes her to get her attention and she looks up from the book she was reading or pretending to read. 

"Yeah?"

"Can I go camping with John tomorrow?" But Lola is venue shopping with Julien tomorrow. "And...and his dad?" He asks that softer and she feels her stomach twist. 

"You...you want to go with Francis?"

"Yeah..." 

"Did he say it was okay?"

"...yeah..." James says. "Please?"

"He needs to call me first, I have to know where you're going."

"Okay."

"Okay."

That seems to be the end of that and she watches James go back outside to play with John. 

Francis never calls her though and when she goes to pick him up from Darnley's the next morning, she is horrified to find that he isn't there.

"Where's James?" She asks and Darnley makes a face.

"Went camping with Francis. I told him to tell you."

"Francis didn't...he didn't- he didn't call me." She says as she climbs the stairs to go to James' room, she doesn't know why Darnley just told her he wasn't here.

"Mary, he called me," Darnley says when she comes back down and she pulls at her hair.

"You!?"

"Uh-huh..." Francis called  _ Darnley  _ instead of Mary. "He's taking them to an old campground up in-"

"He called  _ you _ !?" She shrieks, "Are you serious,  _ you _ !"

"Mary, you need to calm down." He says soothingly and  _ oh how the tables have turned. _ How many times has he flown off the handle and she needed to be the one who calmed him? And now he's doing it to her. 

She's positively seething and he has the audacity to come closer. 

"Have you been sleeping?" He asks, "No. I know that you've been drinking more than usual."

"Shut up, Darnley." She hisses as she turns away from him. 

"Mary, you're not okay."

"No, no, I'm really not." She turns to look at him again, "And it's your fault." 

"What?" He makes a face, shakes his head, looks at her like she's insane, "What are you talking about?"

"If you had just..." She walks over to him, she wants him to  _ hear  _ this. "If you had just  _ pretended  _ to love me, just a little. If you hadn't resented me for getting pregnant and deciding to have James-"

"I never resented you for having James. I love him."

"If you hadn't blatantly, openly, cheated on me every chance that you got I wouldn't have pushed Francis away!" She screams that at him and he steps back. He doesn't really have anything to say to that. There's no defense for it, it's just what it is. 

"I was so scared that the same thing would happen with him. You know? He said that he loved me and I couldn't say it back, I couldn't believe him. Because of you." She shoves him, "You couldn't love me and we had a child together!"

"Mary-"

"What was so bad about me? Why couldn't you just want me? Why?" 

"Mary, I-" He's grabbing her, forcing her to look at him and he just says it, 

"We didn't have time to get to know each other." He says quickly like she'll interrupt him again, "You...you happened to me, I didn't get to choose you. There wasn't a choice to be had, Mary. Once you were pregnant, there was only one way to go and I'm so sorry, okay? I am." He keeps going before she can say anything, "It wasn't fair for either of us, we didn't get to choose each other, we didn't get to decide to spend the rest of our lives together; we were forced to. I didn't resent you because of James, Mary, I resented the fact that we didn't stand a chance."

"We didn't..."

"I should have treated you better." He tells her, "Lord knows that I will never be able to make any of the things I did up to you. You deserved better. I should have tried harder."

"This doesn't fix anything." She whispers it, feels like everything inside of her is falling apart. "It's too late..." it's too late for her to tell Francis she loves him and that she wants him. He's done. He's so done.

"We weren't good for each other." He says softly. "But if Francis really loves you, I don't think it matters how much time goes by. I think he'll still choose you."

_ -/- _

_ Six Months _

_ - _

She saw Francis today, just at an open house and Darnley kept trying to subtly nudge her towards him. James doesn't even have him as a teacher anymore so she doesn't know why she even went that way. She went towards his room, saw him talking to another man. Then he saw her and she saw him and he looked confused for a second, but he didn't look angry. 

He looked good, he  _ always  _ looked good but that's not the point. She wonders if he thinks the same of her. Francis didn't look away until someone asked him a question and he had to, but when he looked back, she was already gone.

They finished up the last of James' back to school shopping, fought with Darnley over who actually gets to take him on his first day back. 

They're both taking him. 

"James, make sure you put everything you'll need next week next to your backpack so that we can organize it later." She doesn't even know why she's bothering organizing, he's a kid, he doesn't care. 

"James-"

"I know, I know." He says dramatically as he runs off to put some of his things away. She laughs softly as she continues her battle with a pack of pencils and a pair of scissors. This really shouldn't be this difficult to open. She goes for a slice, and  _ because the universe was bored _ , she misses and slices open her hand. 

"Ow, son of a-" She shrieks as she drops it and quickly closes her hand to a fist when James comes running.

"Mom!" He shouts worriedly when he sees all the blood.

"It's fine, it's just a little cut." She tells him. Okay, it isn't. She really just tried to cut her hand off, this is fine. It's fine. Just apply pressure and-

"Mommy?" James grabs her hand and he presses a napkin to it, which makes her hiss, but he's just trying to help while simultaneously getting blood everywhere. 

"It's okay, go find the bandages, the medicine cabinet." She tells him, but there's a knock at the door now and there's blood. And James has already gone to answer the door, shouting help with blood on his little hands.

_ She's gonna get a visit from child protective services at this rate. _

"My mom, she's bleeding." Her poor baby, he sounds so worried. And now there are two frantic feet headed her way and oh, she wasn't expecting this.

"Francis?" She questions, voice picking up a few octaves because uh-  _ what the fuck? _

"Mary, what happened?" He asks as he rushes over. Her hand is dripping, blood is dripping on her kitchen tile. She jerks away from Francis when he joins her side.

"It's fine."

"Let me see."

"No." She pulls away when he reaches, doesn't look at him. She can't. The last time they talked was three months ago, and it's been six months since they broke up. That's almost a year. They've been without each other for half a _ year.  _

And now he's here. Now he's here trying to look at her bleeding hand. 

"Mom please..." the pout her son gives her makes her slowly open her hand, the napkin she was pressing against her palm is completely red now and she hisses when he grabs her wrist and pulls her over to the sink. 

"No-"

"I have to see how big it is." He tells her gently as he moves her hand under the faucet. "It's okay." He soothes, as he turns the water on, let's the water run over the gaping wound and she jumps because it hurts but James holds her other hand while they watch Francis clean the excess blood off. 

It's a lot bigger than she thought it was. 

"Good god, Mary, what did you cut yourself with-"

"Scissors." But like never used scissors, fresh out of the box, still incredibly sharp, scissors. 

"I can get a bandaid," James suggests.

"This is going to require more than a bandaid," Francis tells them seriously.

"Don't say it-"

"We're going to the hospital." He says and she whines. 

"No, it's fine, just slap a bandage on it!"

"It's too deep-"

"Nooooo-"

"This really isn't up for a debate." He's so serious about it that it silences her, "James, do you want to go to Lola's with John, or do you want to go to your dad's?" Francis asks as he starts to wrap Mary's hand in a fuck ton of paper towels. 

"I can't go?" James asks.

"Francis." She scolds a little bit because that's really not his decision. 

"Do you want him to sit in a waiting room all night?" Francis asks softly and she swallows. 

"James, buddy, you probably shouldn't..." she concedes, "It's okay, it's just a little cut."

"But it isn't..." he says softly, "What if you bleed out?"

"I won't let that happen." Francis tells him, "But we need to get going, okay?"

_ -/- _

James goes to Lola's, which Mary is sure she'll hear about later, and they head to the emergency room. Where Mary has to fill out a form, with her  _ non-dominant  _ hand.

"Do you want me to do it?" He asks when he sees her struggling to even grasp the pen. He takes it without her telling him yes or no and just starts asking questions.

"Name."

"You know my name." She snaps, "Mary. Stuart." She says with an eye roll.

They go through the basics quickly and then the fun begins.

"Are you sexually active?" He asks.

"What does that have to do with my hand?"

"They're going to give you medication if you check yes they have to check if you're pregnant first." He explains.

"I'm not  _ currently  _ sexually active." He looks relieved and she tries not to read too much into that.

"Your last menstrual cycle."

" _ Ew _ ."

"That's not a date."

"I'm not telling you."

"Correct, you're telling the doctor who is going to read this." Francis hums as he writes something down. She doesn't know what. She doesn't ask. He flips the page. 

"Any history of mental illness in your family?" He asks, "Does Darnley count?" 

"Francis."

"Yes?"

"I'm in pain."

"Aren't we all?" He asks softly and then he's just setting the clipboard aside and leaning back in his chair, looking at her until she looks back. 

"Why'd you come over?" She asks softly. He doesn't say anything, "What were you doing?"

"Now who's asking silly questions?"

_ -/- _

It's  _ hours  _ before they're called back. Francis sits on a plastic chair against the wall and watches as a nurse takes a look at her hand. 

"It's pretty deep." She's saying, "Are you sure it was done with scissors?" The woman asks as she pokes at it and Mary jumps. 

"Ow-"

"That's what she told me," Francis says as he flips through a pamphlet. "She's clumsy."

"Clumsy." The nurse nods but she squints and Mary rolls her eyes at her next question. 

"Have you been having a rough week?" She asks, "Any history of depression, any anxiety disorders-"

"No. Please just stitch up my hand so I can go home. I slipped. The scissors  _ slipped _ ."

"Okay." The girl says sympathetically and then she's taking off her gloves, "I'll be right back."

Once she's gone, Francis straightens and then he's standing. He crosses the room to her, he looks at her seriously.

"Mary."

"What?"

"The scissors slipped."

" _ Don't _ ." She snaps it, it's not...she didn't-  _ Did she? _ "It was an accident."

"An accident." He says softly, "Okay." It's quiet for a second and then he speaks again, "It's just, you haven't been in a good state of mind the last few months-"

"Have you?"

"No. But I'm not sitting in an exam room with a gaping slice in my hand."

"I didn't..." She doesn't bother with finishing it. She just shakes her head, swallows, "You left me."

"You left me first." 

"I was scared..."

"Are you not anymore?" He asks and before she can answer the door swings open and the nurse strolls back in. 

"Tense in here." She comments as she slides a chair over to Mary, "Your husband can sit next to you if you want."

"Oh, he's-" she was going to say he isn't her husband, but she just shakes her head. "He's fine where he is." 

"No, no. I want to sit next to you." Francis says as he grabs his chair and moves it to Mary's other side. He sits without complaint as the nurse gets to work on Mary's hand. She numbed it already so it isn't too painful, just a small sting. 

Francis's phone dings in his pocket and he looks at it for a moment. 

"Lola says James is desperately waiting for an update." He tells her, "What do you want me to say?"

"They're stitching my hand up now and we'll be home soon."

"Is James your son?" The nurse asks. 

"Yes," Mary says softly, she doesn't look at Francis. 

"And John."

"Two boys?" She questions, "Must be fun at your house." She says, "I have all girls."

"Lucky." Mary smiles a small smile. "I feel outnumbered most days..."

"There's plenty of time for daughters. You guys are young." She hums, "You're gonna feel a sting here, I'm just numbing you more, okay?" Mary nods, it's not a small sting, it's one that makes her hiss and then Francis reaches for her free hand, giving it a squeeze. 

"Almost done." 

"You're doing great, darling," Francis says soothingly.

_ -/- _

Her hand is stitched and bandaged and Francis is signing her discharge papers. They all think he's her husband, so he's allowed to do that. She has to come back in a few weeks to take the stitches out.

He holds her hand as they leave but he drops it when they get to the parking lot. 

"It's late so I'll just drop you off at home." He says when they get to the car. They don't talk on the way and she picks at her fresh bandages. She watches the cars pass and the trees turn steadily into streetlights and Francis is quiet but she catches him glance at her from time to time.

"Why did you come over?" She asks suddenly, softly. 

"James left something at my place." He tells her and it...it doesn't sound like an excuse and she deflates a little.

"Oh..."

"Mary, stop picking at your bandage." She stops and keeps her eyes towards the window. They're not far from her house now.

"Francis."

"Hm?" He questions as he turns onto her street, should she tell him now? Is now the time?

"Nothing..." She says softly and it's quiet now, the silence stretches and hangs over them as he parks the car, reaching over to undo her seat belt. She turns to him.

"So uh...do you want me to walk you to your door?" 

"Please?" 

"Sure." He says softly. 

They're quiet the whole way up the stone path to her front door and she thinks about the last time he was here, everything they said, how they couldn't seem to stop hurting each other. Francis shoves his hands in his pockets as he steps back and he sighs like he's thinking about it too.

"Here you go." He says, "Home sweet home-"

"I love you." She says it quickly as she shoves her key in the door and misses on account of her sliced up hand. Her keys fall on the ground and she groans. 

"What?" Oh, he asks it so softly, "Mary-" She turns around she just starts to talk.

"I wanted to tell you for a long time, I just couldn't get it out and now I...I just wanted to say it and be able to go inside so I don't have to look at your reaction, but I dropped my keys and now you're looking at me like...like that and Oh god, you don't love me anymore, do you? Why else would you be looking at me like I'm crazy- I should have said it so-" 

His mouth finds hers and they collide hard enough that she slams back into the door. 

"You love me?" He questions, he only pulls back a little. 

"I love you." She smiles and he kisses her again and again and again, he kisses her until she's dizzy. Someone picked up her keys, someone unlocked the door. They're inside now and they're whispering apologies against kisses and between the shedding of clothing. 

She tells him she loves him between every sigh, every touch and he does too. 

"Don't leave." She whispers when they're done and she's fighting sleep as he combs his fingers through her sweaty hair. "You'll stay here all night?"

"For as long as you want." He presses a soft kiss to her hair and she holds onto him a little tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll write an epilogue at some point but for now, this is the last chapter. I hope it was an enjoyable one!  
> I'm gonna miss writing this story, but I am glad that it's over so that I can shift all of my focus to the next one. :)


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